Pakistan International Airlines passenger flight crashes in Karachi

A Pakistan International Airlines flight with more than 100 people on board has crashed in the Pakistani city of Karachi, an airline spokesman said Friday.

Pakistan’s Aviation Ministry said the flight was carrying 99 passengers and 8 crew members.

Flight PK 8303 took off from Lahore and was due to land at 2:30 p.m. local time in Karachi but went missing from the radar, Pakistan International Airlines spokesman Abdullah Khan told CNN.

The pilot of the Airbus A320 airliner made a mayday call saying he was experiencing technical problems, Khan told CNN.

“He had been told both landing strips were available for his use but he preferred to use the go around landing route, we are looking into the technical issue. Our prayers for the lives that have been lost,” Khan said.

An emergency response protocol has been activated, he added.

Footage posted from the scene on social media shows flames, plumes of smoke and a street filled with rubble in what appears to be a built-up area.

Pakistan’s civil aviation authority allowed limited domestic air travel to resume Saturday after a two-month suspension imposed as part of efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

International flights are not expected to resume until June 1. Pakistan started a phased reopening of its nationwide Covid-19 lockdown on May 9.

This is a developing story.

This story has been updated to correct the plane’s flight number.