Dozens killed as plane carrying 98 crashes in Pakistan

A Pakistan International Airlines flight with nearly 100 people on board crashed in the Pakistani city of Karachi, an airline spokesman confirmed Friday morning.

Update 2:40 p.m. EDT May 22: Authorities told BBC News that the confirmed death toll from Friday’s Pakistan International Airlines crash rose to 57 in the aftermath of the crash.

It was not immediately clear whether the victims were on the plane or on the ground when they were killed, the news network noted.

Flight PK8303 crashed into a residential area of Karachi on Friday while en route to Jinnah International Airport.

Update 12:40 p.m. EDT May 22: Provincial health officials told BBC News that at least 37 people have been confirmed dead in the aftermath of Friday’s Pakistan International Airlines plane crash.

Authorities initially told reporters that all 91 passengers and seven crew members on board the plane died, however, the spokeswoman for the Sindh provincial Health Department, told The Associated Press that at least two passengers survived.

Update 9:45 a.m. EDT May 22: An official told The Associated Press that 91 passengers and seven crew members were on board a Pakistan International Airlines plane that crashed Friday during a domestic flight.

Authorities had initially said 107 people -- 99 passengers and seven crew members -- were on board the plane when it crashed near Karachi. Abdul Sattar Kokhar, spokesperson for the civil aviation authority, told the AP that chaos in the aftermath of the crash caused the discrepancy.

Update 9:30 a.m. EDT May 22: At least 11 people have died after a airplane carrying more than 100 people crashed Friday in Pakistan, according to multiple reports.

Earlier Friday, Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar told The Associated Press that all 99 passengers and eight crew members on board the Pakistan International Airlines flight died. However, two civil aviation officials later told the AP that at least two people survived the crash.

A spokesperson for Jinnah Hospital in Lahore told CNN that at least 11 bodies from the scene of the crash had been taken to the hospital. The news network noted that it was not immediately clear whether the victims were on the ground or in the plane during the crash.

In a video statement, Pakistan International Airlines spokesman Abdullah Khan said the plane’s pilot reported a technical issue before Friday’s crash, according to Reuters.

“He was told from the final approach that both the runways were ready where he can land, but the pilot decided he wanted to do (a) go-around,” Khan said. “It is a very tragic incident.”

Update 7:53 a.m. EDT May 22: According to The Associated Press, the mayor Karachi is at the scene of the crash and said none of the 107 passengers or crew survived.

Original report: Pakistan Airlines spokesman Abdullah Khan told CNN that Flight PK8303 took off from Lahore and was due to land at 2:30 p.m. local time in Karachi but the Airbus A-320 disappeared from the radar.

The flight was carrying 99 passengers and eight crew members, Pakistan’s Aviation Ministry confirmed.

Unverified footage circulating on social media showed black plumes of smoke rising from a row of houses, and the Pakistani army said it is sending helicopters to the scene to assist in the rescue-and-recovery operation, NBC News reported.

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