Charter plane crashes in Karachi, no survivors

KARACHI - At least 20 people were killed when a small privately-owned aircraft crashed soon after taking off from Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport on Friday morning.

The plane came down near the Central Ordinance Depot (COD) area of the airport.

A spokesman for Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority, Pervez George, said that the aircraft crashed due to a technical fault and at least 12 bodies have been recovered so far.

“It was a small plane and there were about 20 people on board. It was a privately-owned aircraft belonging to an oil company,” the Dawn quoted George, as saying.

“Soon after they left, they contacted the airport control tower and said there was a problem in one of the engines. The plane was directed to return and soon after it crashed,” he added.

Rescue teams, police, airport security force and ambulances were at the accident site for rescue and relief operations.

According to reports, a US company working on an oil field at Bhit Shah in Sindh had chartered the plane (ANI)