New Delhi: A Pakistan International Airlines flight crashed on Friday near the Karachi airport and died 91 passengers and eight crew members on board. The plane crashed near the Karachi airport just a minute before the Airbus A320 was to land this afternoon.

The number of casualties in the crash has not been confirmed yet. The PIA flight PK-8303 went down in a densely populated residential area – Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir – just short of the Jinnah International Airport. The crash comes just days after Pakistan began allowing commercial flights to resume after planes were grounded due to the lockdown over the Covid- 19 pandemic. According to the Pakistani media visuals, the wreckage and several houses in the area are on fire. Plumes of smoke could be seen billowing in the sky as ambulances tried to make their way through. 25 residents of the area, injured in the crash, have been reportedly taken to hospitals. An emergency has been declared in all major hospitals of Karachi.

An immediate inquiry will be initiated in the crash, said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in a tweet. I am in touch with PIA CEO Arshad Malik, who has left for Karachi & with the rescue & relief teams on ground as this is the priority right now. Prayers & condolences go to families of the deceased,” he tweeted.