Daily Times

A team of aircraft manufacturer Airbus is expected to arrive in Karachi on Monday (today) to assist the investigation of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash.

The PIA flight PK-8303 crashed into a residential area on Friday. 97 passengers and crew members of the aircraft were killed in the incident, except two survivors. However, no resident of the Model Colony’s Jinnah Garden where the plane crashed was among the victims.

The team will also take black box and other necessary equipment of the crashed plane to France.

The transfer of objects from the site of the incident has been stopped, Due to the arrival of the Airbus team.

It is to be noted that 97 people were killed while two passengers survived when a PIA flight coming from Lahore to Karachi crashed in the Model Colony in Malir area near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.

The bodies of 41 people out of the 97 killed in the incident have been identified and handed over to heirs, whereas the process of the bodies’ identification through DNA test is underway.

A seven-member investigation team of PIA also visited the plane crash site and started investigation into the incident.

The team equipped with modern equipment also inspected the damages building.

The PK-8303 tragedy has become the third most-catastrophic aviation disaster in Pakistan’s history.

In a recent letter issued on Sunday to all airlines operating the A320 narrow-body jets, Airbus said will provide full technical cooperation to the PIA, Air France, and engine manufacturer CFM International after the crash.

The company also conveyed its condolences to and solidarity with the families of those killed in the accident.

It said the aircraft’s registration and manufacturer serial numbers were APBLD and 2274, respectively. The plane was handed over to the PIA in 2014 and had completed 47,100 flight hours and 25,860 flight cycles until its crash, it added.