The Pakistan Aviation Ministry said the flight was carrying 99 passengers and 8 crew members.
Flight PK 8303 took off from Lahore and was scheduled to land at 2:30 p.m. local time in Karachi but disappeared from the radar, Pakistan International Airlines spokesman Abdullah Khan told CNN.
The pilot of the Airbus A320 airliner made a distress call to tell him that he was experiencing technical problems, Khan told CNN.
"He had been told that the two landing strips were available for his use, but he preferred to use the landing strip, we are examining the technical problem. Our prayers for the lives lost," said Khan.
An emergency response protocol has been activated, he added.
Social media images show flames, plumes of smoke, and a street filled with rubble in what appears to be a built-up area.
The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority authorized the resumption of limited domestic air travel on 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. On May 9, Pakistan began a gradual reopening of its national Covid-19 lock.
This is a developing story. This story has been updated to correct the flight number of the aircraft. Source link
