Pakistan International Airlines Crashes in Karachi
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight 8303 crashed moments before it arrived at the Karachi Jinnah International Airport. Unfortunately, Pakistan resumed domestic flights only a few days prior and a lot of people took the opportunity to visit their family during the holiday Ramadan.
Pakistan International Airlines Crashes in Karachi
Pakistan International Airlines flight on its way from Lahore to Karachi crashed near the Jinnah International Airport in a residential area. The Airbus 320 was carrying 91 passengers and 7 crew members. The flight in question numbered PK 8303 took off from Lahore and was due to land at 2:30 pm local time in Karachi. According to the initial report, there was a failure of the landing gear when the aircraft was near the runway. A few houses were destroyed and some caught fire around the crash site.
There is still no official death toll and it is unclear how many people were affected in the residential area where the plane crashed. According to the PIA press release there are still ongoing rescue efforts. Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan posted on his official Twitter page that an immediate inquiry into the crash. The Minister of Health and Population Welfare has declared an emergency in all major hospitals in Karachi because of the expected number of victims affected by the crash.
From the official press release:
“We deeply regret to announce that a PIA flight PK 8303 from Lahore to Karachi (Aircraft Airbus A-320) registration (AP-BLD) crashed near Karachi Airport at 14.39 hrs PST today, 22nd May 2020. No further details of the accident are available at the moment. 91 passengers, Seven crew members were on board. Details are still coming about the unfortunate and sad incident. PIA is doing everything possible to assist authorities at this time”
Pakistan International Airlines is the national flag carrier of Pakistan with the main hub in Karachi's Jinnah International Airport. PIA doesn't have the best track record with safety regulations. In December 2016 flight carrying 48 passengers and crew had crashed on the way to Islamabad from Chitral. Unfortunately, there were no survivors. Also in 2019 the carrier barely avoided another major accident after an aircraft slid off the runway while landing, but nobody was injured.