At around 10 AM this morning, an airbus of air blue flight ABQ-ED 202 coming from Turkey via Karachi to Islamabad crashed on the slopes of Margalla Hills, overlooking the capital city Islamabad. The plane was carrying 146 passengers and six crew members on board.
At the time of crash, the weather at Islamabad was heavily overcast and it was raining. Usually the landing approach to the Benazir International airport, Islamabad is much away from the Margalla Hills. But due to heavy low clouds, it is speculated that the pilot may have flown towards the Maragalla Hills and crashing in the process. But real cause of crash is too early to ascertain.
News channels have reported that the rescue workers have found charred body part of the ill fated passengers spread over a large area on the slopes of the hills. The plane wreckage is generally spread in a gorge between two hills and till now smoke can be seen billowing from the wreckage. A resident of nearby E-7 locality observed an aircraft flying very low in the vicinity, which was very unusual, and then heard a loud crashing noise.
The news of the crash fell like a bolt on the friends and relatives waiting outside the airport ready to receive their near and dear one was the aircraft crashed just minutes before the landing. The exact number of death toll is yet not known, but there is hardly any hope for a large number of survivors.
Air blue is relatively a new name in Pakistan’s air travel history which started its operations in 2004. The airline has been operating with a fleet of brand new Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft on domestic and international routes like Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Manchester. In a short span of around six years, the airline has earned a reputed name due to its excellent on board services and adherence to time schedules. This is the first accident of the airlines.
Pakistan has declared a day of national mourning and a meeting of the federal cabinet was called off by the prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who expressed grief over the tragic incident and offered prayers for those who had been killed.
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