PAKISTAN: No sign of survivors after a Bhoja Air passenger plane crashes in bad weather as it comes in to land in Islamabad
Record ID:
382866
PAKISTAN: No sign of survivors after a Bhoja Air passenger plane crashes in bad weather as it comes in to land in Islamabad
- Title: PAKISTAN: No sign of survivors after a Bhoja Air passenger plane crashes in bad weather as it comes in to land in Islamabad
- Date: 21st April 2012
- Summary: WOMAN IN CAR CRYING
- Embargoed: 6th May 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Pakistan, Pakistan
- Country: Pakistan
- Topics: Disasters,Transport
- Reuters ID: LVAAIFB56Z9GTYW8X1K2EBK5Y393
- Story Text: Up to 131 people were killed on Friday (April 20) when a Pakistani airliner crashed in bad weather as it came in to land in Islamabad, officials said.
The civilian plane, operated by local carrier Bhoja Air, was flying from Pakistan's biggest city and commercial hub Karachi to the capital Islamabad when it crashed about five nautical miles (nine kilometres) from the international airport, said aviation official Pervez George. He gave no details of casualties.
There were conflicting reports of the number of people on board. George put the number at 131, but Bhoja Air's spokesman Jaser Abro said 116 passengers were on board and up to six crew.
Body parts lay among wreckage strewn in a small settlement just outside Islamabad. Local residents said they had seen a ball of fire in the sky when the plane crashed.
"The plane burst in the air. It was between 6:30 and 6:45 pm. The debris is scattered over an area of one kilometre. There are tyres and dead bodies. The rescue workers did not have enough sheets, so we have brought sheets from our houses to cover the bodies. There are still more dead bodies behind us in an area around 500 feet in radius. Ten or twelve houses were also damaged by parts of the plane," said Noman Ahmed, a local resident.
"There are dead bodies scattered all over the place. The rescue work has just started after such a long time. It is now 9:00 pm. Residents covered the bodies with sheets. Now the rescue people are picking up the bodies. It is like sheer apocalypse," said another resident of the area.
State television reported that all hospitals in Islamabad and the nearby city of Rawalpindi had been put on high alert after the crash.
A Bhoja airline official told grieving relatives gathered at Karachi airport that arrangements were being made to take them to Islamabad.
"A flight will be leaving. One person from each family will be onboard. I want to send the relatives in this manner," Javed Ishaq told the crowd of relatives looking for information about their loved ones.
The flight is expected to leave Karachi early morning.
A woman said her sister-in-law was aboard the ill-fated plane.
"My sister in-law who is also my cousin was aboard this flight. I spoke to her around 2:30 in the afternoon, I had visited her yesterday. She has one son and three daughters. One daughter is abroad, the other is in Islamabad. She was travelling to visit her and this happened," said Fehmida Bano.
The last major aviation accident in Pakistan was in July 2010, when a commercial airliner operated by AirBlue with 152 people on board crashed into the hills overlooking Islamabad.
In 2006, a Pakistan International Airlines aircraft crashed near the central city of Multan, killing 45 people - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: Video restrictions: parts of this video may require additional clearances. Please see ‘Business Notes’ for more information.