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At least 13 bodies have been pulled out of a crashed plane and transferred to hospitals after a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane went down in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi on Friday afternoon, local media reported.
One survivor has been discovered as the rescue operation was underway, according to Reuters citing a local official.
Earlier, the mayor of Karachi Waseem Akhtar said there are expected to be no survivors among the people on board.
The state carrier said the flight, PK 8303, had crashed with 99 passengers and eight crew members on board, though civil aviation officials said the total for both maybe 99.
The Chinese embassy in Pakistan said no Chinese nationals were on board.
The aircraft, a 15-year-old Airbus A320, went down near a residential area in Karachi. It was on its way from the city of Lahore to Karachi when the incident happened.
The PIA flight smashed into a residential area, with clouds of thick black smoke billowing from the site, according to images circulated on social media.
Several buildings and cars were also damaged. Some residents nearby were also reported injured.
Following the report of the crash, the Pakistan military said security forces had been deployed to the area and helicopters were being used to survey the damage and help rescue operations.
Technical fault
According to a media report, a technical fault might have led to the tragedy.
"The last we heard from the pilot was that he has some technical problem," PIA spokesman Abdullah H. Khan said in a video statement.
It appeared the plane was unable to open its wheels due to a technical fault prior to landing, a senior civil aviation official told Reuters, adding it was too early to determine the cause.
According to a recording posted on monitoring website liveatc.net., the pilot of a crashed PIA jet sent a distress signal and told controllers the aircraft had lost power from both its engines on its second attempt to land, but there was no further communication from the aircraft
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan promised an inquiry into the incident and said he had contacted the PIA's chief executive Arshad Malik who has headed to the crash site.
"Shocked saddened by the PIA crash ... Immediate inquiry will be instituted. Prayers condolences go to families of the deceased," Khan wrote on Twitter.
(CGTN)
