At least 152 passengers including crew members have been killed after a private airliner Airblue domestic flight ED-202 crashed into the Margalla hills on Wednesday. The plane was on its way from Karachi to Islamabad. Interior Minister Rehman Malik has confirmed that all the passengers on board have been killed. Chairman of Islamabad's Capital Development Authority Imtiaz Elahi also said, There are no survivors. We believe all are dead. We are recovering the remains of the dead bodies from the wreckage. Airblue Operations official, W. Hameed Mirza told that there were 152 passengers on board the plane which was flying from Karachi to Islamabad. Among the passengers six were crew members. It is also reported that two Americans were also among the passengers. The tragedy took place at about 9:45 am local time when an airbus flight of a Pakistani private airliner Airblue, crashed in the mountains of Margalla Hills near Islamabad. Anguished families were in tears after hearing of the disaster while waiting at the arrivals terminal where they had intended to meet their relatives. Families and relatives of the victims have reached Islamabad from Karachi through a special flight of Air Blue.It is reported that the plane lost its contact with the air tower due to thick fog and heavy rainfall in Islamabad and resultantly crashed but the exact cause of the crash is yet not known. It is also reported that the pilot was instructed to not to land the plane due to traffic on the runway. Eyewitnesses say the plane was flying at low altitude during bad weather. Meanwhile, the CAA has recovered the black box from the blast site, which may help determine the cause of the crash. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has set up a six-member investigative team, headed by Air Commodore Khwaja Majeed to probe the incident. General Manager Marketing, Airblue, Raheel Ahmed said captain of the crashed flight 202, Pervaiz Iqbal Chaudhry was a seasoned pilot with more than 25,000 flying hours during experience of 35 years. He said that there was no technical fault in the crashed plane and if the incident was occurred due to mistake of the Captain, it will also come out in the investigations. Emergency was declared in Islamabad hospitals after the incident where all the injured and dead bodies were shifted but no one could survive and all the injured succumbed to their injuries. All the rescue and relief agencies, including Rescue 1122, ERC an Army Aviation participated in the initial search and rescue operation. Some 300 body bags, 40 blankets and 10 bundles of rope have been airdropped at the crash site. Ambulances of Rescue 1122 are shifting the bodies to the hospital. The rescue operation of the air plane crash at Margalla Hills could take 2-3 days as accident place has not any road access and bad weather conditions hamper the operation. Prime Minister Gilani, Chief Ministers, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira had an aerial view of the crash site atop Margalla hills. The PM has ordered the Defence Ministry to conduct an inquiry into the matter. He also announced one-day national mourning. Airblue is one of Pakistan's most respected airlines. It has been operating only since 2004, using new Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft on domestic routes and international services to Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Manchester. Pakistan enjoys a relatively good air safety record. The most recent fatal commercial crash was a Pakistan International Airlines Fokker F27 that came down in July 2006, killing 45 people on take-off from the central city of Multan, bound for Lahore. The deadliest civilian plane crash involving a Pakistani jet was a PIA Airbus A300 that crashed into a cloud-covered hillside on its approach to the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, killing 167 people in September 1992. No survivors of plane crash, says Rehman MalikInterior Minister Rehman Malik talking to Dunya News informed that a large scale relief and rescue operation is underway to assist the victims of the tragedy. He said that all passengers on board have been killed.Rehman Malik said that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari have sent their helicopters to assist the relief and rescue operations. He informed that a crisis management cell has been constituted to coordinate the operation efficiently. He added that the rescue and aid efforts are being hampered due to poor weather condition. Names of people on board Crew members:Pervaiz Ali Chaudhary (Pilot), Muntabajib Chughtai(1st officer), Umme Habiba, Shahzia Razzaq, Hina Usman and Nahid Bhatti.Passengers:The complete list of passengers is available in the Useful Links on our website.
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