The private airliner, which had flown from
crashed in heavy rain. Thick smoke rose from the crash site in the
hills, which is covered in forest. There were reports of ambulances
taking bodies to the nearest hospital in
There were 146 passengers and six crew members on board, government and airline officials said.
“There are no survivors. We believe all are dead. We are recovering the remains of the dead bodies from the wreckage,” said
The Airbus A321, flown by Airblue, had been due to land at
Rescue teams found it difficult to reach the site,
which wasn’t near a road and offered no landing site for helicopters.
An army battalion and military helicopters were deployed.
“We have no information on any survivors. Those recovered are dead bodies,” said
Relatives of the passengers gathered at
Witnesses said the plane appeared to be flying very low over houses in
“I saw it pass over my house and then there was a very loud explosion,” Rahman said.
Airblue is mostly a domestic airline, though this flight was said to have originated in
“People’s heads and body parts are lying around.
You cannot count” the bodies, Zaheer said. “Luggage is also scattered
around the place. Everything is broken.”
Airblue, said, “It is hilly terrain. They (rescuers) have had to walk
to the wreckage. We are also being hampered because of the weather.
Rescue teams have reached the wreckage and they are looking for
survivors.”
Pakistani television channels were airing a printed
official list of the passengers’ names and footage of rescuers picking
through the smoldering wreckage.
Interior Minister
———
(c) 2010, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Visit the