Survivor recalls horror of PIA plane crash

Survivor recalls horror of PIA plane crash

KARACHI (AFP) - One of the two people to survive a plane crash in Pakistan that killed 97 people has described jumping from the burning wreckage of the aircraft after it hurtled into a residential neighbourhood.

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane came down among houses on Friday afternoon after both engines failed as it approached Karachi airport, the airline said.

Its wings sliced through rooftops, sending flames and plumes of smoke into the air as it crashed onto a street, sparking a rescue operation that lasted into the night.

Commercial flights in the country resumed only days ago, ahead of the holidays of Eid al-Fitr, after planes were grounded during a lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.

"After it hit and I regained conciousness, I saw fire everywhere and no one was visible," Mohammad Zubair, 24, said from his hospital bed.

"There were cries of children, adults and elderly. The cries were everywhere and everybody was trying to survive. I undid my seat belt and I saw some light and tried to walk towards it. Then I jumped out."

Zubair had suffered burns but was in a stable condition, a health ministry official said.

The airline named the other survivor as the president of the Bank of Punjab, Zafar Masud.

At least 19 had been identified so far, while DNA testing was being carried out at the University of Karachi to help name the rest of the victims.

The disaster comes as Pakistanis prepare to celebrate the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid, with many travelling to their homes in cities and villages.

Mayday call

A PIA spokesperson said air traffic control lost contact with the plane travelling from Lahore to Karachi just after 2:30 pm (0930 GMT).

The pilot made a desperate mayday call after announcing "we have lost engines", according to an audio recording confirmed by the airline.

The plane had first entered service in 2004 and was acquired by PIA a decade later and had logged around 47,100 flight hours, Airbus said in a statement.

Residents were the first to sift through the charred and twisted wreckage strewn in search of survivors, with witnesses reporting the cries of a man hanging from the plane’s emergency exit door.

Residents near the scene recounted how the walls of their homes shook before a big explosion erupted as the aircraft slammed into the neighbourhood.

"I was coming from the mosque when I saw the plane tilting on one side. It was so low that the walls of my house were trembling," said 14-year-old Hassan.

Another resident, Mudassar Ali, said he "heard a big bang and woke up to people calling for the fire brigade".