Crash horror as jet tries to land in rainstorm
Source: Agencies |
April 21, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
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A PAKISTANI passenger jet with 127 people on board crashed into wheat fields yesterday as it was trying to land in a rainstorm at an airport near the capital Islamabad, officials said. Sobbing relatives of those on the flight flocked to the airport as a government minister expressed little hope of finding survivors.
Emergency workers used flashlights to search among smoldering wreckage and body parts for any sign of life at the crash site, which was just a few kilometers from the Benazir Bhutto International Airport. One rescue official asked villagers to bring him sheets to cover the dead.
The aircraft was a Boeing 737-200 operated by Bhoja Air, a domestic carrier that has just four planes and only resumed operations last month after they were suspended in 2001 due to financial difficulties.
The flight was traveling from the country's largest city of Karachi to the capital, officials said. It was the airline's first evening flight from Karachi, a Bhoja Air official said.
Crying relatives of those on the flight thronged the airline's counters at Karachi and Islamabad airports.
One man said that two of the passengers, Sajjad Rizvi and Sania Abbas, were newlyweds flying to Islamabad for their honeymoon.
Civil aviation officials had reported it was unlikely anybody had survived, said Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar.
It was unclear whether any people on the ground were killed, but the crash happened in what appeared to be a relatively unpopulated rural area. A violent rain, wind and thunder storm was lashing the capital at the time of the crash, which occurred about 6:40pm local time.
"It was really bad weather for a flight," said Navy captain Arshad Mahmood, who lives near the crash site.
"The pilot was forced to move down to avoid clouds generating the lightning and thunder."
Several farmers threshing wheat saw the craft burst into flames when it hit the ground.
"The flames leapt up like they were touching the sky," said Mohammad Zubair.
The army declared an emergency and cordoned off the crash site
TV footage showed wreckage of the plane, including parts of what looked like its engine and wing, up against the wall of a small building. Rescue officials were working in the dark, with many using flashlights as they combed the area.
The last major plane crash in the country - and the worst - was in July 2010 when an Airbus A321 operated by Airblue crashed in hills overlooking Islamabad, killing 152 people.
A government investigation blamed the pilot for veering off course amid a storm. The impact of the crash was devastating, scorching a wide swath of hillside.
Most bodies were so badly damaged that identification required DNA testing.
Emergency workers used flashlights to search among smoldering wreckage and body parts for any sign of life at the crash site, which was just a few kilometers from the Benazir Bhutto International Airport. One rescue official asked villagers to bring him sheets to cover the dead.
The aircraft was a Boeing 737-200 operated by Bhoja Air, a domestic carrier that has just four planes and only resumed operations last month after they were suspended in 2001 due to financial difficulties.
The flight was traveling from the country's largest city of Karachi to the capital, officials said. It was the airline's first evening flight from Karachi, a Bhoja Air official said.
Crying relatives of those on the flight thronged the airline's counters at Karachi and Islamabad airports.
One man said that two of the passengers, Sajjad Rizvi and Sania Abbas, were newlyweds flying to Islamabad for their honeymoon.
Civil aviation officials had reported it was unlikely anybody had survived, said Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar.
It was unclear whether any people on the ground were killed, but the crash happened in what appeared to be a relatively unpopulated rural area. A violent rain, wind and thunder storm was lashing the capital at the time of the crash, which occurred about 6:40pm local time.
"It was really bad weather for a flight," said Navy captain Arshad Mahmood, who lives near the crash site.
"The pilot was forced to move down to avoid clouds generating the lightning and thunder."
Several farmers threshing wheat saw the craft burst into flames when it hit the ground.
"The flames leapt up like they were touching the sky," said Mohammad Zubair.
The army declared an emergency and cordoned off the crash site
TV footage showed wreckage of the plane, including parts of what looked like its engine and wing, up against the wall of a small building. Rescue officials were working in the dark, with many using flashlights as they combed the area.
The last major plane crash in the country - and the worst - was in July 2010 when an Airbus A321 operated by Airblue crashed in hills overlooking Islamabad, killing 152 people.
A government investigation blamed the pilot for veering off course amid a storm. The impact of the crash was devastating, scorching a wide swath of hillside.
Most bodies were so badly damaged that identification required DNA testing.
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