28 Jul 2010

Passenger jet crashes in Pakistan capital

10:14 pm on 28 July 2010

A passenger jet has crashed in hills north of the Pakistani capital Islamabad.

Police say it was an Airblue flight to Islamabad via Karachi, with 146 passengers and six crew on board.

Officials say more than 90 bodies had been recovered and at least three injured people have been taken to hospital.

The BBC reports the plane crashed in the Margalla Hills to the north of Islamabad.

The Airbus is thought to have left Karachi at 7.50am local time on Wednesday and officials say it lost contact with the control tower minutes before landing.

Skies in Islamabad have been heavily overcast during the past couple of days and there was heavy monsoon rain at the time of the accident.

People near the site of the crash say they saw the plane in low flight before it crashed.

A heavy fog is hampering the huge rescue effort.