Islamabad (dpa) – A team of experts from aircraft manufacturer Airbus on Tuesday arrived in Pakistan to assist authorities investigating the plane crash in the southern city of Karachi that killed 97 people on Friday, officials said.
"Airbus has sent an 11-member team of experts to provide technical assistance to aircraft accident investigation board," said Abdullah Hafeez Khan, spokesperson for the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
Khan said PIA would help "the board and the Airbus team to ascertain the real cause of crash."
The team will inspect the runway and visit the crash site from where authorities had already stopped removing the aircraft's debris. Flight data recorder and black box will also be handed over to the experts for examination.
An Airbus A320 operated by the PIA crashed into a narrow residential street moments before its scheduled landing at Jinnah International Airport on Friday.
Two passengers miraculously survived and no deaths were reported on ground, though over two dozen houses were damaged in the crash.
Survivor Muhammad Zubair told a local TV station that the plane's first attempt at landing failed and it crashed as it attempted a second one.
Prime Minister Imran Khan ordered investigations to determine the cause of crash. His government also announced monetary compensation for the families of those killed and injured in the crash.
Pakistan resumed domestic flights on May 15 after a coronavirus lockdown. International air travel remains banned until the end of this month.
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