Plane with 159 onboard crashes near Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani passenger plane from private company Airblue on Wednesday crashed into hills behind the capital Islamabad, where smoke and flames were seen rising through heavy clouds, police said. 

Initial reports suggested that all passengers and crew members (152) are feared dead. 

A passenger plane has crashed in Islamabad, killing more than 140 people on board and six crew members. The Airbus A330 crashed near Islamabad airport after a flight from Karachi. The plane was on its way from Turkey to Islamabad via Karachi.

The relief teams have rushed to Margalla hills. The airplane lost contact with the control tower of Islamabad airport just before the crash. It is worth mentioning that lack of visibility due to rainy weather might have caused the incident

It was not immediately clear how many people were on board. Thick smoke could be seen rising from between the trees on the Margalla Hills on the edge of Islamabad, according to media reports.

"We have reports that the plane fell into the Margalla Hills. There is smoke, but we have not been able to reach there. It is surrounded by the hills and there is no road access," police official Sayed Subhan.

"We have reports that it was a private Airblue airline plane," he said.

It was also reported that rescue operations were hampered due to bad weather.