Airbus A320 crashes in Karachi, Pakistan

Text by: RFI Follow

A Pakistan International Airlines Airbus crashed in Karachi in southern Pakistan. The plane was carrying more than 90 people. The plane crashed into a residential area near the airport where it was to land. No results for the moment. But it is likely to be heavy as the residential area is very populated.

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From our correspondent , Sonia Ghezali

Spirals of smoke escape from the Model Colony residential area. It is located less than 2 kilometers from Jinnah International Airport which is located in the heart of Karachi. On videos posted on social networks, we see residents in shock, in front of burnt out car carcasses, broken glass littering the sidewalk, a street plunged in thick black fog.

Several houses were badly damaged. All major hospitals in the city are in a state of emergency, the Ministry of Health said. PIA Flight 8303 left Lahore early in the afternoon. " There was a lot of wind throughout the day, " said a resident of Pakistan's largest city. No official information for the moment on the reasons for the crash of the Airbus A320.

PIA has precedents. A plane of the Pakistani national airline company had crashed in 2016 about thirty kilometers from the capital Islamabad. 42 passengers and six crew members were killed in the crash. The pilot reported a problem with one of the engines before starting to descend from the aircraft.

Aviation incidents are frequent in Pakistan, which experienced the deadliest crash in its history in 2010 . 152 passengers and crew members died after the Airbus A321 that transported them crashed near the Pakistani capital.

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• Aeronautics
• Pakistan