KARACHI: A small plane belonging to Jahangir Siddiqui (JS) Air crashed on Friday morning near a residential and military area in the Gulistan-e-Jauhar suburb in Karachi, killing all 21 passengers on board.The plane took off from Jinnah International Airport, Karachi and crashed near Pehelwan Goth shortly after take-off. Express 24/7 correspondent Shehryar Mirza said two pilots were among the dead. Civil Aviatian Authority (CAA) stated that 21 people were on board the plane when it crashed, and that one security guard and one technician are among the dead.
Mirza said all 21 bodies have been pulled out of the aircraft and that rescue teams have been dispatched to the site of the crash. The bodies are charred beyond recognition, and 17 bodies have been shifted to the Aga Khan University Hospital, while the rest have been shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and Liquat National Hospital.
Talking to Express 24/7, CAA spokesperson Pervaiz George confirmed that the plane belongs is a JS Air aircraft, which left Jinnah International Airport, Karachi at 7:13 am for Bhitshah.
George said the plane crashed due to possible engine failure, as the control tower received reports from the pilot that there was a problem after take-off, after which the pilot was told to land back at the airport. He said that the plane had been cleared for take off prior to the crash.
Sources say the aircraft had not been cleared for take-off two days prior to the crash as it had technical problems and needed repairs, but took off despite the warning. A JS Air spokesperson confirmed that the black box of the aircraft has been recovered.
An eyewitness said the plane turned back towards the airport shortly after take-off, after which it fell to the ground and burst into flames.
“The plane has been totally gutted and there are no survivors,” Lieutenant Colonel Noor Alam told reporters. The plane was believed to be carrying about 20 people, mostly Pakistanis, he said, adding that bodies have not yet been identified.
A company official in Karachi told AFP the plane was chartered by ENI, an Italian multinational oil company, and was carrying its employees. Mirza told Express 24/7 that one of the passengers was a foreign national.
The passenger list given to Mirza by CAA is as follows:
- Captain Naeem
- Captain Numan
- Ashiq Ali
- Imran Khan
- Salem Khokhar
- Amir Saeed
- Salman Khan
- Ali Khan
- Husain
- Mohammad Aslam
- Arshan Ali
- Qamar Habib
- Israr Khan
- Ghulam Mustafa
- Zafar Iqbal
- Dr Saeed
- Nisar Ahmed
- Hasan
- Manzoor
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