Story ID: GPpiacrash05222020
PIA Airbus A320 Crashes in Karachi
By: Gregory Polek
Caption: Authorities fear few survivors of PIA Flight PK8303.
Word Count: 175
A Pakistan International Airlines A320 carrying more than 100 passengers and crew members crashed into a Karachi neighborhood on Friday at about 2:30 pm local time. Authorities have not confirmed whether anyone on board survived.

The airplane, operating as Flight PK8303, had taken off from Lahore about an hour and a half earlier for its flight to Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport.

Various media reports from the region indicate that the pilot of the airplane had called Mayday before crashing in a densely populated area of the city. It remains unclear whether the crash resulted in any casualties on the ground. Although one Pakistani official reported no survivors, witnesses at the scene reportedly saw rescuers pulling apparent survivors from the rubble.

Witnesses said the Airbus A320 appeared to attempt a landing two or three times before crashing.

Pakistan's civil aviation authority lifted a domestic air travel ban on Saturday after a two-month suspension due to the Covid-19 threat. Plans call for international flights to restart on June 1.