Plane Crashes in Karachi 60 Secs Before Landing, 99 Dead

Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and India sent their condolences to Pakistan on Friday after the passenger plane crashed on landing

DESPARDES (Developing) — 60 seconds away from landing, a PIA plane enroute from Lahore to Karachi crashed near the Model Colony neighborhood killing 99 on board.

Among those who lost their lives include crew members and several military officers who were on board: Sq Ldr Zain; Maj Shehryar; Capt Ahmed Mujtaba; Lt Shaheer; Lt Balach; 2/Lt Hamza Yousuf.

Several people have reportedly survived. One of the survivors is President and CEO of The Bank of Punjab, Zafar Masood.

Karachi has been under 2 months lockdown due to the pandemic. The Airbus was one of the first flights to Karachi before Eid ul Fitr this weekend.

According to Geo News citing the Civil Aviation Authority, communications with the plane were lost one minute before landing — it crashed into a crowded neighborhood.

The A320 Airbus was scheduled to land at Jinnah International Airport. It was declared airworthy in April following fitness test.

Turkey, Iran, India and Afghanistan sent their condolences to Pakistan on Friday after the passenger plane crashed on landing.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted he was “deeply saddened by the deadly crash in brotherly Pakistan.”

“May Allah’s mercy be upon those who lost their lives in the crash. Condolences to our Pakistani brothers [and] sisters. Friendly [and] brotherly Pakistan’s pain is our pain,” he wrote.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered his condolences to the people and the government of Pakistan, saying Afghans stood with them in this moment of grief.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Telegram that its spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, mourned the loss of dozens of lives in the air disaster.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was saddened by the tragedy. He offered condolences to the families of the deceased and wished speedy recovery to those injured.

Developing story…