Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Plane crashes in Pakistan with 99 on board, many feared dead

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane with 99 passengers and crew crashed into a residential area of the city of Karachi on Friday (22), with many feared dead, officials said.

Smoke billowed at the scene where flight PK 8303 came down, some rooves were caved in, and debris lay scattered in streets as ambulances rushed through chaotic crowds of people.


Seemin Jamali, a doctor at nearby Jinnah Hospital, confirmed to Reuters there were at least five corpses from the crash.

"The areoplane first hit a mobile tower and crashed over houses," witness Shakeel Ahmed said near the site, just a few kilometres short of the airport.

The jet, which tracking website FlightRadar24.com identified as a 15-year-old Airbus A320, was flying from the eastern city of Lahore to Karachi in the south just as Pakistan was resuming domestic flights in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

"The last we heard from the pilot was that he has some technical problem," the state carrier's spokesman Abdullah H. Khan said in a video statement.

"He was told from the final approach that both the runways were ready where he can land, but the pilot decided that he wanted to do (a) go-round ... It is a very tragic incident."

One senior civil aviation official told Reuters it appeared the plane was unable to open its wheels due to a technical fault prior to landing, but it was to early to determine the cause.

PM PROMISES INQUIRY

Pakistan's army and rescue services rushed to the site, which appeared to be a densely populated area.

Several cars were on fire, footage showed.

"The pilot was told that he could land at the Karachi airports, he was told that both the runways were ready, but he took a circle and gave a MayDay call before the crash," another civil aviation official, Abdul Sattar Khohar, told Reuters.

"We don't know yet whether he gave any reason at the time of the MayDay call."

In Pakistan's most recent deadly crash, 47 people died when a PIA jet smashed into a mountainside in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in 2016. The country's worst plane disaster came in 2010 when an AirBlue flight crashed killing 152 people near Islamabad.

"Shocked & saddened by the PIA crash. Am in touch with PIA CEO Arshad Malik, who has left for Karachi & with the rescue & relief teams on ground as this is the priority right now," tweeted Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"Immediate inquiry will be instituted. Prayers & condolences go to families of the deceased."

More For You

Virgin-Atlantic-iStock

The flight departed from London Heathrow at 11:40am BST on 2 April and was scheduled to arrive in Mumbai at 8:10pm BST. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

London-Mumbai Virgin Atlantic flight diverted, passengers stranded for over 40 hours

PASSENGERS on Virgin Atlantic flight VS358 from London Heathrow to Mumbai faced significant delays—now over 40 hours—after the aircraft was diverted to Turkey due to a medical emergency, followed by technical inspections.

Passengers have criticised the airline for leaving them in “awful” conditions for two days at an airport with limited facilities.

Keep ReadingShow less
snowstorm across England

The sunshine might soon be swapped for snowflakes in several regions

Getty

Weather forecast warns of mid-April snowstorm across England

After enjoying the sunniest March on record, Britain is in for an unexpected turn in the weather this April, with forecasts pointing to a blast of wintry conditions. According to weather maps from WX Charts, snow could make a widespread return across England and Wales in mid-April, accompanied by a sharp dip in temperatures.

While spring is officially underway and warmer days have given a welcome taste of summer ahead, it seems the sunshine might soon be swapped for snowflakes in several regions. This sudden change could temporarily put a stop to the dry and sunny spell many have enjoyed so far this month.

Keep ReadingShow less
'Staff sickness still high at Birmingham hospitals'

The report said an action plan has been developed and was now in place to try to tackle the issues causing the sickness absences.

'Staff sickness still high at Birmingham hospitals'

Gurdip Thandi

CONCERNS remain about the high level of sickness suffered among staff at hospitals in Birmingham.

Bosses at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust said they “need to do a lot more” in terms of bringing sick levels down and looking at their existing measures to see how effective they are.

Keep ReadingShow less
Streeting: Health deal signals new era in UK-India relations

Catherine West, Wes Streeting and Seema Malhotra

Streeting: Health deal signals new era in UK-India relations

THE recent UK–India health and life sciences agreement will strengthen cooperation on healthcare innovation and security in both countries, health secretary Wes Streeting said.

He also paid tribute to British Asians, saying the communities were pivotal in the growth of the NHS since its inception in 1948.

Keep ReadingShow less
'Jagtar Singh Johal in solitary confinement in India'
Jagtar Singh Johal (Image credit: Facebook/Free Jaggi Now)

'Jagtar Singh Johal in solitary confinement in India'

A British Sikh activist remains in solitary confinement in an Indian prison, despite being cleared of terrorism charges by a Punjab court last month, reported The Guardian.

Jagtar Singh Johal's family said that he is under constant surveillance, with no access to other prisoners, and fear for his mental and physical health.

Keep ReadingShow less