Pakistan Plane Crash: 152 People Killed

Officials have said more than 150 people were killed when a passenger plane crashed in dense forest on the outskirts of Pakistan`s capital Islamabad.

Some 90 bodies have so far been recovered but authorities have indicated no one was likely to be found alive, dismissing early reports that five people had survived.

At least two Americans were among the dead, according to a US embassy spokesman.

The aircraft crashed in the Margalla Hills as it was coming in to land, according to Pervez George, a spokesman for the country`s civil aviation authority.

"The plane was about to land at the Islamabad airport when it lost contact with the control tower, and later we learned that the plane had crashed," he said.

There were 146 passengers and six crew on board the plane, an Airbus 321 model operated by private company Airblue.

The flight, which began in Karachi, came down amid reports of heavy rain in the area.

The office of Pakistan`s prime minister has declared a day of national mourning over the tragedy.

A witness told reporters he was on a family outing in the hills when he saw the plane looking unsteady in the air.

"The plane had lost balance, and then we saw it going down," Saqlain Altaf said.

The Margalla Hills area is a national park and there are few roads, so the dead were being lifted from the crash site by helicopters.

Bin Yameen, a senior police official in Islamabad, said: "We are removing wreckage with our hands. There is fire. There`s smoke, which has made the rescue job very difficult."

It is understood Airblue flies within Pakistan as well as internationally to the UAE, Oman and the UK.

The only previous recorded accident for Airblue, which started up in 2004, was a tail strike in May 2008 at Quetta airport.

There were no casualties and damage was minimal, according to the US-based Aviation Safety Network.

sections: Accidents, World News