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The Sindh state health ministry said all the passengers and crew on board were found and the remains were collected from the crash site. The ministry added that the bodies of 19 people had been identified.
“After the hit, when I regained consciousness, I saw flames around me, no man was seen,” said Mohammad Zubair, 24, one of the survivors, at the hospital. A video in which this passenger shares the impression of the disaster has spread on social networks.
“The screams of children, adults and the elderly have been heard. There were screams everywhere, and everyone was trying to survive. I took off my seat belt, saw some light and tried to go towards him. Then I jumped,” said the man.
Zubair suffered burns, but his condition was stable, said a health ministry official.
The airline has announced that the next surviving passenger is Zafar Masud, chairman of the Punjab Bank board.
Karachi University conducts DNA tests to help identify the victims.
A local hospital previously reported that the bodies of people who died in the disaster had been brought to him.
The crash site was still closed Saturday morning.
Clouds of black smoke rose from the crash site when the plane crashed. Rescue workers and residents searched for people in the rubble, and firefighters tried to put out the flames.
An AFP journalist saw burned bodies loaded into ambulances.
The PIA reported that the plane, which was flying from Lahore to Karachi, lost contact with ground services after 2 p.m. 30 minutes. local time (12h30 min Lithuanian).
VIDEO: A passenger plane carrying more than 100 people crashes in Pakistan: crashes in a residential area
Until then, the pilot desperately cried out for help, announcing that “we had lost our engines” in a PIA verified audio recording.
The disaster occurred as Pakistanis prepared to celebrate the end of the fasting month of Ramadan and the beginning of Id al Fitro. Many residents return to their homes in cities and towns at this time.
Firefighter Sarfraz Ahmed told AFP at the scene of the crash that rescuers were removing bodies from an Airbus A320 that were still fastened with seat belts.
“Was [„Airbus“] The A320 is one of the safest aircraft, PIA CEO Arshad Mahmood Malik said at a press conference. “From a technical and operational point of view, everything was in order.”
According to Pakistani aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, the airline said the plane’s captain, Sajjad Gull, was a highly experienced pilot of the A320.
Airbus said the wrecked plane was first put into service in 2004 and a PIA was purchased a decade later. The plane flew approximately 47.1 thousand. hours
The PIA promised to carry out a full independent investigation.
“I pray and express my condolences”
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was “shocked and saddened” by the disaster. He wrote on Twitter that he was in contact with the head of the state airline.
“I pray and express my condolences to the families of the dead,” the prime minister said in his message.
According to the Pakistani army, security forces have been deployed to the disaster area and helicopters are being used to determine the extent of the damage. The military also expresses its condolences for the “loss of precious lives.”
Commercial flights in the country resumed just a few days ago. Previously, flights were banned due to quarantine introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Pakistan is known for its lack of a responsible approach to civil and military aviation security. There have been a number of airplane and helicopter accidents in the country in the past.
In 2016, a Pakistan International Airlines plane flying from the far north to Islamabad caught fire when one of the two turboprop engines failed. More than 40 people were killed this time.
The deadliest plane crash in Pakistan occurred in 2010. Airbus A321, a private airline from Karachi, crashed into the hills near Islamabad. All 152 people on the ship died in that disaster.
The official report indicates that the accident was due to pilot errors and a hostile atmosphere in the cockpit.
In the 1970s, the reputation of one of the leading airlines to join PIA was marred by frequent flight cancellations, delays, and financial problems.
Over the years, the company has been embroiled in a number of controversies, including in 2013, when an intoxicated pilot was jailed in the UK.
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