Cargo plane crashes in Karachi, eight dead (Second Lead)

KARACHI - A cargo plane crashed near Pakistan’s Karachi airport early Sunday, killing all eight crew members on board, Geo TV reported.

The Russian-made plane IL-76 crashed around 1:45 a.m. and immediately caught fire. The aircraft crashed near Dalmiya road in Gulshan-i-Jamal area which is close to a naval colony and the southern command of Pakistani air force.

Spokesman of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Pervez Jeorge told Dawn TV: “The Sudan-bound plane crashed two minutes after taking off from Karachi terminal. The pilot did not report any fault before the crash.”

The nationalities of the deceased passengers were not known.

Residents said the engine of the aircraft caught fire and it came down on an under-construction building.

Nearly a month ago, a small aircraft crashed in Karachi killing all 12 people on board while in July, an airblue flight taking off from Karachi crashed in Margalla hills near Islamabad, killing around 130 people.