No survivors as Pakistan plane crash kills 152
A plane has crashed in hills north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, killing all 152 people on board. The plane, an Airblue flight from Karachi to Islamabad, came down in the Margalla Hills. Officials said the plane lost contact with the control tower minutes before landing. It is not known what caused the crash.
Pakistani TV showed images of smouldering wreckage on a foggy hillside, with helicopters overhead.
Imtiaz Elahi, chairman of the Capital Development Authority, which deals with emergencies, said the situation at the site of the crash was "heartbreaking".
"It is a great tragedy, and I confirm it with pain that there are no survivors," he told the Associated Press news agency.
The plane, reported to be an Airbus A321 with 146 passengers and six crew on board, is thought to have left Karachi at 0750 (0350 GMT).
Two Americans were among the victims, a US embassy spokesman said, but gave no further details.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik said at least five survivors had been taken to hospital, but local officials later said those reports were wrong.
Local TV footage showed twisted metal wreckage hanging from trees and scattered across the ground. A flight recorder has been found.
Officials said rescuers searching for survivors were digging through the rubble with their bare hands. The crash site, on a steep hill, has no roads.
"The plane is totally destroyed, the pieces and parts scattered over a large distance. Some parts of the plane are still burning. Some bushes have been burnt," said Express 24/7 television journalist Sabur Ali Sayed at the scene.
Aamir Ali Ahmed, a senior city government official, told Reuters: "It's a very difficult operation because of the rain. Most of the bodies are charred. We're sending body-bags via helicopters."
RSS