Pakistan Mourns Worst-Ever Air Crash Victims
World | July 29, 2010, Thursday
People carry a coffin containing mortal remains of one of the victims of the plane crash, as it arrives in Karachi, Pakistan in the early hours of 29 July 2010. Photo by EPA/BGNES
Pakistan is observing a day of national mourning on Thursday after a plane crashed in hills north of the capital, Islamabad, in the country's worst-ever air disaster.
An Airbus A321 crashed as it was about to land in the capital Islamabad, killing all 152 people on board.
The domestic flight from the southern city of Karachi was operated by the private Pakistani airline Airblue, which has a good safety record.
The cause of the crash is not known yet.
The plane - with 146 passengers and six crew on board - was flying at an extremely low level before crashing into the Margalla hills north of the capital, eyewitnesses said.
Airblue spokesman Raheel Ahmed told reporters that the crash had been "an extremely tragic incident" and the plane had no history of technical problems.
It was leased by Airblue in January 2006 and had accumulated about 34,000 flight hours.
Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said 115 bodies had been recovered, but bad weather and difficult terrain had hampered recovery efforts.
Tags: Karachi, Pakistani, Pakistan, Islamabad, Airblue
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