PESHAWAR: A woman passenger was killed while a steward and another passenger were injured when a PIA flight coming from Riyadh came under fire during landing here on Tuesday night.

The body was taken to the Combined Military Hospital.

According to Peshawar Cantonment SP Mohamed Faisal, four or five bullets fired from Pishtakhara area adjoining the airport hit the plane.

The airport’s operation was suspended after the attack and incoming flights were diverted to Islamabad and Lahore.

Police and other law-enforcement agencies launched a search operation after cordoning off areas around the airport.

The Peshawar airport is jointly managed by the Civil Aviation Authority and the air force and it also houses an army aviation base.

Abid Qaimkhani, a CAA spokesman in Karachi, confirmed the incident.

He told Dawn that the Airbus was about to land when bullets hit it, but it landed safely. According to Reuters, the plane was carrying 178 passengers travelling from Saudi Arabia.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2014