Cargo plane crashes in Karachi, 8 dead

Eight Russian crew members died as a cargo plane exploded into a fireball and crashed into an unoccupied housing complex in Karachi, immediately after it took off here on Sunday, reports said.

The Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft was bound for the Sudanese capital Khartoum, Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Pervez George told media, according to Pakistan’s Geo TV.

One person on the ground was seriously injured in the accident.

The accident took place at nearly 1:50 am (local time) in the morning.

The plane carrying relief supply had just took off from the Jinnah Karachi International Airport when the accident occurred.

The plane damaged nearly 20 unoccupied houses that were under construction in that area, reports mentioned.

The plane missed the densely populated apartment blocks by few hundred metres, preventing more loss of lives.

Some of the dead were taken to the Karachi’s Civil Hospital after their bodies were recovered, reports said.

Reports said that the locals in the area witnessed that one of the engines of the plane had caught fire when it was flying overboard.

The plane exploded and set off a huge fireball making the locals believe that it was another blast.

It took nearly two hours for the fire trucks to bring the fire under control.