As a result of the crash of a passenger plane, the Airbus A320 of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) near the city of Karachi killed, according to the latest data, 97 people. This was announced by the Ministry of Health of the Pakistani province of Sind.

Earlier, Karachi Mayor Vasim Akhtar said that "there are no survivors of the crash, but this information still needs to be confirmed."

However, the Dawn portal, citing a spokesman for the Minister of Health and Social Development of the province of Sind, Miran Yusuf, said that two passengers survived the crash. One of them is Punjab Bank President Zafar Masood. This information was also confirmed by a spokesman for the regional government, Murtaza Wahab.

“So far I can confirm that two passengers aboard the Pakistan International Airlines plane miraculously survived the crash. Their names are Zafar Masoud and Mohd Zubair. Both are in stable condition. Keep praying for others, ”he wrote on his Twitter.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Health of the Pakistani province of Sind confirmed the information about the two survivors and clarified that a total of 99 people were on board the ship.

According to the Dawn portal, among them - 91 passengers and eight crew members.

At the same time, The Nation noted that there were 51 men, 31 women and nine minor children, as well as crew members on board.

In addition, local media reported that a baby was found at the crash site. His family allegedly lived in one of the buildings on which the plane fell.

Pakistani authorities are already investigating the crash near Karachi.

“I talk with the CEO of the company Arshad Malik, who left for Karachi, as well as with rescuers in the field, as this is now a priority. The investigation will be launched immediately, ”Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan wrote on his Twitter page.

The head of government also expressed condolences to the families of the victims.

The crash occurred on Friday, May 22, near the international airport "Genie". The airliner, flying PK8303 from Lahore to Karachi, fell on residential buildings located about 4 km from the arrival airport.

According to local media, a flight recorder was found at the crash site. Decoding the black box can take several weeks.

According to Flightradar24, the crashed A320 was made 15 years ago. According to preliminary data, the cause of the crash could be a technical malfunction, TASS notes with reference to the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. Reportedly, it became known from the audio recording of the talks between the pilots and the dispatchers that the crew commander reported the problem and went to the second round, and then, when approaching, informed about the engine failure and transmitted a distress signal.

In turn, The Nation claims that the landing gear jammed at the Airbus A320 for the first time. As suggested by the media, this could happen in connection with a collision with a flock of birds.

We add that Airbus has already announced that it will provide all possible assistance in the investigation of the crash.

“We regret to confirm that the Pakistan International Airlines A320 plane was involved in the incident during the flight of PK8303 from Lahore to Karachi on May 22, 2020,” the statement said.

To gallery page

According to information available to the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, there are no Russian citizens among the victims of the tragedy.

“At the moment, the number of victims among residents of houses on which the plane crashed is being established. According to reports, there are no citizens among the victims. We express our sympathy and support to the families of the victims, we wish a speedy recovery to all the wounded, ”the message says.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences on the occasion of the crash near Karachi. He sent the corresponding telegram to the head of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Arif Alvi and to the country's Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“Russia shares the sorrow of those who lost their near and dear ones in this disaster, and hope for the speedy recovery of all the victims,” Putin said.

The World Health Organization and the Prime Minister of India, India, also expressed condolences to the families of the victims.