Operation to clear plane wreckage resumes

Parts of cockpit, landing gear taken to airport, engine yet to be shifted

KARACHI: After being suspended for a week, efforts to retrieve the engine and landing gear of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft that recently crashed in a residential area in Karachi resumed on Monday.

The plane had plunged into a street in Jinnah Garden, Model Colony, on May 22, killing 97 people on board and leaving two injured. A 12-year-old girl on the ground also succumbed to her burn injuries 10 days after the incident, while several houses and vehicles were damaged.

Authorities have decided to remove the remains of the plane's engine from the debris using heavy machinery provided by the Karachi Port Trust, Pakistan Army and other agencies, while attempting to avoid further damage to the houses.

The engine will be removed from the rubble of an overhead tank on the roof of a house today (Tuesday). To keep the structure of the house secure, supporting beams and jacks will be used, while construction experts and engineers from the Civil Aviation Authority will supervise the operation. Hydraulic cranes have also been sought at the site from Pakistan Army for the purpose.

Meanwhile, parts of the cockpit and landing gear were recovered from the rooftops of several houses on Monday. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2020.