KARACHI: One of the two people to survive Fri­day’s plane crash in Karachi that killed 97 people has described jumping from the burning wreckage of the aircraft after it hurtled into a residential neighbourhood.

“After it hit and I rega­ined consciousness, I saw fire everywhere and no one was visible,” Mohammad Zubair, 24, said from his hospital bed in a video clip circulated on social media.

“The cries were everywhere and everybody was trying to survive. I undid my seat belt and I saw some light and tried to walk towards it. Then I jumped out.”

Zubair had suffered burns but was in a stable condition, a health ministry official said. The airline named the other survivor as the president of the Bank of Punjab, Zafar Masud.

“Eid has become meaningless not only for Karachi but the whole of Pakistan,” said Ziaul Haq Qamar, who lives near the crash site.

Several members of the armed forces who were flying home to their families to celebrate the holiday were among the dead, the military said.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2020

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