More than 90 killed in plane crash near Islamabad

More than 90 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of a Pakistani passenger plane which crashed near Islamabad on Wednesday, police said. There were 152 people on board. \"The chances of any survivors are very dim. We have collected the remains of more than 90 people so far,\" Islamabad

senior police official Bin Yameen told Reuters.



The aircraft of the private airline Air Blue, flying from Karachi to Islamabad, hit the Margalla Hills near the Daman-e-Koh viewpoint this morning, officials of the police and a state-run rescue service said.



Speaking to Hindustan Times, Ahsan Mukhtar, who is about 600-700mts away from the crash site, says authorities have confirmed that there are at least six survivors. There is a single helicopter till now, which is airlifting the survivors. Ambulance and rescue teams have reached the crash site.



Mukhtar says that the co-pilot was an ex-Air Force pilot.



Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority Spokesman Pervez George said that 146 passengers and a six-member crew were on board the plane. Islamabad has been hit by heavy rains for the past few days and the city was covered by fog and low-lying clouds.





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Civil aviation officials said the aircraft had disappeared from radar screens shortly before the crash was reported.



The crash occurred in an area that is not accessible by roads or trials. Rescue workers said they were facing problems in approaching the crash site.



The heavy rains too were hampering rescue efforts, they said. Footage aired on TV news channels showed white smoke rising from the thick forests in the Margalla Hills.



Witnesses said they had seen flames in the wreckage of the aircraft.


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