Pakistan Passenger Plane Crashes in Karachi

Pakistan International Airlines has crashed on a flight from Lahore in Karachi, aviation officials say.

The plane, which was reportedly carrying about 99 passengers and eight crew members, was operating from Lahore to Jinnah International Airport, one of Pakistan's busiest airports.

Pictures shared on social media show smoke rising from the crash site, a residential area in Karachi.

Emergency services have arrived at the scene, where homes have been damaged.

"The plane crashed in Karachi. We are trying to confirm the number of passengers but initially it is 99 passengers and eight crew members," said Abdul Sattar Khokhar, the spokesman for Pakistan's aviation authority.

The crash comes just days after the country began allowing commercial flights to resume.

What is Pakistan's safety record like?

Pakistan has a chequered aviation safety record, including a number of airliner crashes.

In 2010, a private airline aircraft, Airblue, crashed near Islamabad, killing all 152 people on board-the deadliest air disaster in Pakistan's history.

In 2012, a Boeing 737-200 flown by Pakistani Bhoja Air crashed in bad weather on its landing in Rawalpindi, killing all 121 passengers and six crew members.

And in 2016, Pakistan International Airlines erupted into flames when it flew from northern Pakistan to Islamabad, killing 47 men.

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Source: BBC