ISLAMABAD — A Pakistani passenger plane crashed in heavy rain near Islamabad yesterday, killing all 152 people on board, officials said, in the worst aviation accident in Pakistan.
The Airbus 321, belonging to a private airline crashed into a heavily wooded and hard-to-access hillside while flying from the southern port city of Karachi.
Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said 115 bodies had been recovered so far but bad weather and difficult terrain above the city had hampered search efforts.
“Unfortunately, no one survived...,” Kaira told a news conference.
Twelve bodies had been identified so far, but “the crash was very terrible. There was fire. It’s difficult to recognise the bodies”.
Passengers’ remains were badly damaged in the crash and DNA tests would be used to identify victims, he said.
Two Americans were among the victims, a US embassy spokesman said. He had no further details.
While thick fog and rainy weather are considered the most likely reasons for the crash, Kaira declined to rule out sabotage and said all possibilities would be investigated. — Reuters