Plane carrying 127 people crashes near Islamabad
20 Apr 2012
A civilian aircraft carrying over 120 passengers crashed near the Chaklala airbase in the garrison town of Rawalpindi today due to bad weather, Pakistan television channels reported.
According to TV reports, there were about 127 people, including crew on board the airliner at the time of the crash.
Initial reports said the plane, a Boeing 737, belonged to local carrier Bhoja Airline.
The flight BHO-213, which took off from Karachi at 5.00 pm, crashed before it reached Islamabad airport, a police official said, adding that rescue teams were on their way to the site.
The plane was supposed to land in Islamabad at 6.40 pm but crashed just before touchdown.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirmed the crash report and said rescue teams had rushed to the accident site.
They said bad weather was hampering rescue operations.
Television reports said all hospitals in Islamabad and nearby Rawalpindi had been put on high alert after the crash.
