11 killed in Karachi plane crash
Source: Agencies |
November 29, 2010, Monday
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A CARGO plane crashed in flames into a residential area in Pakistan's largest city soon after takeoff yesterday, killing all eight crew on board and at least three people on the ground.
The crash was the second this month in Karachi, the main port city in the south, and the third in Pakistan in less than five months.
The Russian-made plane slammed into a housing complex under construction in the city, sending fire and smoke into the sky and razing or damaging about 20 buildings. The aircraft narrowly missed hitting several large apartment buildings only a few hundred meters away.
Authorities recovered three bodies from the smoking rubble by yesterday afternoon and one laborer was still missing. Another person on the ground was taken to hospital with severe burns, said local doctor Abdul Razak.
The Sudan-bound plane, which had seven Ukrainians among the crew, including the commander, pilot and navigator, crashed at around 1:50am, when many people in the upmarket neighborhood were asleep. One of the plane's engines was on fire as it flew overhead, several witnesses said.
"I saw one of its wings was burning and there was a blast and the fire engulfed the aircraft very quickly," said Riaz Ahmed.
Under construction
Residents said most of the houses destroyed were under construction and believed unoccupied except for a few of the laborers building them.
Karachi police chief Fayaz Leghari said a larger catastrophe had narrowly been averted.
"It would have been a big disaster had the plane hit the residential apartments," Leghari said.
Aviation authority spokesman Pervais George said the plane, owned by Sunway of Georgia, came down two minutes after takeoff from the city's international airport.
Many people initially thought the blast was from a bomb.
"I was sleeping and the huge blast awoke me. I thought some suicide attack might have occurred and I ran outside," said Rehan Hashmi.
Fire trucks sprayed foam on to the crash site and after two hours the blaze was extinguished.
Hundreds of people came to see the spectacle and film it with their mobile phones, hampering access for emergency workers.
George said the plane was an Ilyushin Il-76, a multipurpose cargo plane often used for ferrying humanitarian aid to developing countries.
Earlier this month in Karachi, a small passenger plane crashed soon after takeoff, killing 21 people.
In July, a passenger jet operated by Pakistani carrier Airblue crashed into hills overlooking the capital Islamabad during a storm, killing all 152 on board.
The crash was the second this month in Karachi, the main port city in the south, and the third in Pakistan in less than five months.
The Russian-made plane slammed into a housing complex under construction in the city, sending fire and smoke into the sky and razing or damaging about 20 buildings. The aircraft narrowly missed hitting several large apartment buildings only a few hundred meters away.
Authorities recovered three bodies from the smoking rubble by yesterday afternoon and one laborer was still missing. Another person on the ground was taken to hospital with severe burns, said local doctor Abdul Razak.
The Sudan-bound plane, which had seven Ukrainians among the crew, including the commander, pilot and navigator, crashed at around 1:50am, when many people in the upmarket neighborhood were asleep. One of the plane's engines was on fire as it flew overhead, several witnesses said.
"I saw one of its wings was burning and there was a blast and the fire engulfed the aircraft very quickly," said Riaz Ahmed.
Under construction
Residents said most of the houses destroyed were under construction and believed unoccupied except for a few of the laborers building them.
Karachi police chief Fayaz Leghari said a larger catastrophe had narrowly been averted.
"It would have been a big disaster had the plane hit the residential apartments," Leghari said.
Aviation authority spokesman Pervais George said the plane, owned by Sunway of Georgia, came down two minutes after takeoff from the city's international airport.
Many people initially thought the blast was from a bomb.
"I was sleeping and the huge blast awoke me. I thought some suicide attack might have occurred and I ran outside," said Rehan Hashmi.
Fire trucks sprayed foam on to the crash site and after two hours the blaze was extinguished.
Hundreds of people came to see the spectacle and film it with their mobile phones, hampering access for emergency workers.
George said the plane was an Ilyushin Il-76, a multipurpose cargo plane often used for ferrying humanitarian aid to developing countries.
Earlier this month in Karachi, a small passenger plane crashed soon after takeoff, killing 21 people.
In July, a passenger jet operated by Pakistani carrier Airblue crashed into hills overlooking the capital Islamabad during a storm, killing all 152 on board.
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