Daccanomics
A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight on its way from Lahore to Karachi, crashed in a residential area near Jinnah International Airport on Friday, according to Civil Aviation Authority officials. The spokesperson for the country’s aviation authority, Abdul Sattar Khokhar said :
We are trying to confirm the number of passengers but initially it is 99 passengers and eight crew members,”
Geo News reported that the plane crashed at the Jinnah Ground area near the airport as it was approaching for landing. Black smoke could be seen from afar at the crash site, say eye witnesses.
The PK8303 flight was due to land in Karachi at 14:45 local time (09:45 GMT). The Airbus A320 plane was operated by state-run Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
“Our plane A320 which was coming from Lahore to Karachi … the last words for the pilot were that there is a technical problem and he was told on final approach that he has both runways available to him. But the pilot indicated that he wanted to go around,” PIA CEO Arshad Malik said in a video message released after the crash.
