Islamabad: Five injured survivors were recovered from the Pakistani plane crash site in Margalla Hills near Islamabad, while there is little hope of finding anymore amid heavy fire, thick smoke and persistent rain.
At least 25 people are confirmed dead so far, Islamabad City authorities said.
Ramzan Sajid, the spokesman for the Capital Development Authority, said that rescuers continue to search the wreckage for additional dead and wounded.
The plane, which was carrying 140 passengers and seven crew members, was circling around Islamabad in heavy monsoon rain and low cloud, when it crashed into the highest mountain range in Islamabad on Wednesday. Five children and two infants were on board, says an Air Blue employee.
Dozens of rescue workers and four Pakistan Army helicopters are now struggling to sift through a field of debris from the crashed A321, which was operated by a private airline, Airblue.
"The Islamabad-bound flight (ED202) did not send an SOS message before crashing against the hilltop," said a source at the airport.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rahman Malek told TV channels that five survivors are being given medical assistance at the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi.
Top government officials and airline sources are ruling out the possibility of a terrorist act and severe weather is being given as the most likely reason for the crash.
Retired Air Commodore Jamal Hussain, an aviation expert, told Gulf News that the airplane "clearly seems falling prey to intense weather and low visibility as the Margalla Hills were covered with low clouds."
"There is no chance of ambulances reaching the debris field, scattered across two kilometres of dense green slopes of Margalla Hills," Ansar Alia, a medical worker for Capital Development Authority, said in Islamabad.
Meanwhile, the charred bodies of those killed have been recovered and brought to the Pakistan's Institute of Medical Science in Islamabad.
An information desk has been set up at the Islamabad Airport. However, the list of passengers has not yet been issued by the airline.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Bin Yamin said the rescue operation may take many hours to complete as rains and winds are hampering swift rescue operations by the helicopter.
This is eighth passenger crash in Pakistan's history and the first of a private Pakistani airline.
http://gulfnews.com/news/world/pakistan/pakistan-plane-crash-survivors-found-1.660543
At least 25 people are confirmed dead so far, Islamabad City authorities said.
Ramzan Sajid, the spokesman for the Capital Development Authority, said that rescuers continue to search the wreckage for additional dead and wounded.
The plane, which was carrying 140 passengers and seven crew members, was circling around Islamabad in heavy monsoon rain and low cloud, when it crashed into the highest mountain range in Islamabad on Wednesday. Five children and two infants were on board, says an Air Blue employee.
Dozens of rescue workers and four Pakistan Army helicopters are now struggling to sift through a field of debris from the crashed A321, which was operated by a private airline, Airblue.
"The Islamabad-bound flight (ED202) did not send an SOS message before crashing against the hilltop," said a source at the airport.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rahman Malek told TV channels that five survivors are being given medical assistance at the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi.
Top government officials and airline sources are ruling out the possibility of a terrorist act and severe weather is being given as the most likely reason for the crash.
Retired Air Commodore Jamal Hussain, an aviation expert, told Gulf News that the airplane "clearly seems falling prey to intense weather and low visibility as the Margalla Hills were covered with low clouds."
"There is no chance of ambulances reaching the debris field, scattered across two kilometres of dense green slopes of Margalla Hills," Ansar Alia, a medical worker for Capital Development Authority, said in Islamabad.
Meanwhile, the charred bodies of those killed have been recovered and brought to the Pakistan's Institute of Medical Science in Islamabad.
An information desk has been set up at the Islamabad Airport. However, the list of passengers has not yet been issued by the airline.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Bin Yamin said the rescue operation may take many hours to complete as rains and winds are hampering swift rescue operations by the helicopter.
This is eighth passenger crash in Pakistan's history and the first of a private Pakistani airline.
http://gulfnews.com/news/world/pakistan/pakistan-plane-crash-survivors-found-1.660543
Bad weather has caused this ...
