A Pakistani passenger airliner crashed in heavy rain near Islamabad on Wednesday, with 90 people reported dead and little chance of any of the 152 people on board surviving, Reuters reports.
The Airbus 321, belonging to private airline Airblue, crashed into a?hard-to-accessforested?hillside while flying from the southern port city of Karachi. Rescue workers were scouring the site for bodies, officials said.
"Most of the bodies are charred. We're sending body-bags via helicopters. It's a very difficult operation because of the rain," said Aamir Ali Ahmed, a senior city government official.
"We can pray and hope but what experts are saying is that there's no chance of any survivors," he added.
The plane lost contact with the control room of Islamabad International Airport at 0443 GMT. It was carrying 146 passengers and six crew members.
The crash site is on the Margalla Hills facing Islamabad, about 300 meters (yards) up the side of the hills. Smoke could be seen from some districts of the city after the crash.
"It was raining. I saw the plane flying very low from the window of my office," witness Khadim Hussain said. Heavy monsoon rains have lashed the area for the past few days.
No survivors so far in Pakistani plane crash
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