All 155 people aboard a Pakistani passenger plane were killed on Wednesday when the ill-fated aircraft crashed into the Margalla Hills overlooking Islamabad in heavy rain and poor visibility. The Airbus A 321 operated by private airline Airblue — which had 147 passengers and eight crew aboard — hit the Margalla Hills near Daman-e-Koh viewpoint at about 10 am local time and exploded into pieces. Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik told media persons that there are no survivors in the crash. He said, bodies could not be identified immediately as they were mutilated and in pieces. Malik said, he has asked the Federal Investigation Agency to ascertain the details of all passengers and to look into the possibility whether the crash may have been caused by an act of sabotage or terrorism.Two Americans, five members of the same family and a newly married couple coming to Islamabad for their honeymoon were among passengers of the aircraft, which took off from Karachi at 7.50 am. Officials said, five children and 29 women were also on the aircraft.Sources in the Civil Aviation Authority expressed surprise at authorities clearing the aircraft to land at Islamabad despite the poor visibility and bad weather.President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani expressed shock and grief at the crash. The government declared a day of national mourning and Gilani put off a meeting of his cabinet till next week.The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has expressed grief and shock over the tragic plane crash. In a message to his Pakistani counterpart, Dr. Singh condoled the loss of lives in the tragedy.
News On AIR | July 29, 2010 9:10 AM
All 155 people aboard a Pakistani passenger plane killed in Islamabad on Wednesday