Pakistani plane crashes with 127 on board

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All passengers and the crew aboard a Pakistani plane that crashed near Islamabad yesterday evening have been declared dead after the rescue teams found the wreckage, the country's Interior Minister said Saturday.

ISLAMABAD -- A Pakistani airliner with 127 people on board crashed in bad weather as it came in to land in Islamabad on Friday, scattering wreckage and leaving no sign of survivors.

The Boeing 737, operated by local airline Bhoja Air, was flying to the capital from Pakistan's biggest city and business hub Karachi. It crashed into wheat fields more than 5 miles (about 9 km) from the airport.

Police, media and residents stand next to the wreckage of a Boeing 737 airliner which crashed in Islamabad April 20, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

Rawal Khan Maitla, director general of Emergency Disaster Management for the Capital Development Authority, said there were no survivors.

Rescue workers walked through mud at the crash site with flashlights or with the lights of their cellphones looking for passengers' remains. One held up a tattered e-ticket receipt.

Body parts, wallets and eyeglasses lay among wreckage strewn in a small settlement just outside Islamabad.

"It was as if the entire sky had burst into flames," said a resident of the area.

Parts of the aircraft smashed into electricity poles, blanketing the area in darkness, or into houses. There were no reports of casualties on the ground.

Bhoja Air said the airplane crashed during its approach in Islamabad due to bad weather. There was no indication from the government that it could have been the result of foul play.

A man who had been waiting at Islamabad's Benazir Bhutto International Airport for the flight yelled "my two daughters are dead" as tears streamed down his face.

In a state of shock, he then slumped on the floor and sat silently as other relatives of passengers crowded around lists of those on board.

The uncle of the sisters, 18 and 20, said they were supposed to return to Islamabad on Sunday but flew early to see an aunt who is visiting from London.

"We don't even know when or where we will get to see their bodies," said the uncle, Qamar Abbas, who kept mumbling "no, no, no" to himself.

Aviation officials stand next to the wreckage of a Boeing 737 airliner which crashed in Islamabad April 20, 2012.[Photo/Agencies]