'Black Box Recovered from Pakistan Plane Crash with 97 Dead... Accident Investigation Underway'

On the 22nd (local time), security personnel dispatched to a residential area in Karachi, southern Pakistan, where a passenger plane crashed, are searching for bodies.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy International Desk Reporter] With the black box of the Pakistani passenger plane crash that claimed 97 lives recovered, a full-scale investigation into the cause of the accident is expected to begin.

According to local media and foreign news on the 24th, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Pakistan's Minister of Aviation, visited the accident site the day before and said, "The accident investigation committee formed by the government has started the investigation," adding, "The recovered black box will be helpful." He emphasized, "We promise to release a preliminary accident report within three months and take firm action against those responsible."

Pakistan International Airlines stated that the black box of the crashed plane was recovered on the day of the accident and handed over to the accident investigators.

The accident occurred on the 22nd at around 2:45 p.m. when Pakistan International Airlines flight PK8303, an A320 passenger plane flying from Lahore to Karachi in southern Pakistan, crashed into a residential area less than 1 km from the runway of Jinnah Airport in Karachi, Sindh Province.

The passenger plane was carrying a total of 99 people, including 91 passengers and 8 crew members. Among them, Jafar Masood, the head of Punjab Bank, who was seated in the first row, and technician Muhammad Zubair, seated in the eighth row, survived, while 97 others died. Additionally, 25 houses were damaged, and 8 residents were injured.

After the plane caught fire following the crash, only 21 bodies of the passengers were identified, and the rest are undergoing DNA analysis. It has been confirmed that there were no Korean passengers on board. Funerals have begun for the victims whose identities have been confirmed.

With the audio communication between the aircraft and the control tower released, technical failure is being considered the most likely cause of the accident. Pilot Sajjad Gul was heard urgently telling the control tower, "We have lost an engine."

Survivor Muhammad Zubair also described the situation in a media interview, saying, "Suddenly, the aircraft shook violently, and the captain announced, 'There is a problem with the engine, and it could be serious.' When I came to my senses, I heard screams from all around, and all I could see was flames."

The aircraft involved in the accident was used by China Eastern Airlines for 10 years starting in 2004, and after the ownership changed, Pakistan International Airlines operated it from 2014.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.