At least 97 people have been killed after a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight crashed Friday in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, according to a statement from the Sindh Health Department.
The airline’s CEO said at a news conference that the flight from Lahore was carrying 99 passengers and crew members in total. A rescue operation is being carried out by Pakistan’s Army Search and Rescue Team.
Two passengers survived but 97 bodies have been recovered, Pakistan Armed Forces spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar said on Saturday. Army troops, rangers and social welfare organizations were assisting in the search, he added.
He added: “97 bodies recovered. 2 passengers survived. 25 affected houses cleared, their residents accommodated at various places with the assistance of Civil Administration.”
The plane did not hit any buildings and no one on the ground appears to have been killed, PIA CEO Air Vice Marshal Arshad Malik had earlier told reporters in Karachi. The plane landed in a lane.
Malik said the airline was tracking the number of dead by coordinating with local hospitals, a procedure that will take at least two days. He only knew of one survivor, Zafar Masood, the CEO of the Bank of Punjab.
The airline chief said all checks and certifications had been in place, nothing was pending and the airline was operationally and administratively good to go. He added: “Air travel is the safest. PIA’s pilots and engineers follow SOPs,” and that the “A320 is one of the safest planes in the industry.”
He could not yet confirm why the accident took place but said there will be a proper inquiry.
The pilot said he was ready to land but then made a second approach when something went wrong. Malik said the airline would know more about what happened when the flight recorder is retrieved.
One US citizen was on board Flight PK 8303, a State Department official told CNN. “We are monitoring the situation closely and are in touch with local authorities,” the official said. “Our staff in Pakistan and here in the United States are working tirelessly to provide all possible consular assistance.”s
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted Friday afternoon he was “shocked and saddened to hear of the plane crash today in Karachi.”
“My prayers go out to those killed and injured, and their families,” he wrote. “The U.S. stands with Pakistan during this difficult time.”
The plane took off from Lahore and was due to land at 2:30 p.m. local time in Karachi but went missing from the radar, PIA spokesman Abdullah Khan told CNN.
