127 feared dead in Pakistan crash

A passenger jet with 127 people on board has crashed into wheat fields near the Pakistani capital Islamabad as it tried to land in bad weather.

Sobbing relatives of those on the Bhoja Air flight flocked to the airport as a government minister expressed little hope of finding survivors.

Emergency workers and bystanders used torches to search among smouldering wreckage and body parts for any sign of life at the crash site, which was just a few miles away from the Benazir Bhutto International Airport.

The aircraft was a Boeing 737-200 operated by Bhoja Air, a domestic carrier that has just four planes and only resumed operations last month after suspending them in 2001 due to financial difficulties.

The flight was travelling from the country's largest city of Karachi to the Pakistani capital, officials said.

Relatives of those on the flight thronged Bhoja Air counters at Karachi and Islamabad airports.

One man said on television that two of the passengers, Sajjad Rizvi and Sania Abbas, were newlyweds flying to Islamabad for their honeymoon.

Pakistan's defence minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhar said civil aviation officials had reported it was unlikely anyone had survived.

It was unclear if any casualties occurred on the ground, but the crash happened in what appeared to be a relatively unpopulated rural area.

High winds and heavy rain had lashed parts of the capital during a storm at around the same time as the crash, which occurred at about 6.40pm local time.

"The plane crashed a few hundred yards away," said farm worker Mohammad Zubair.

"The flames leapt up like they were touching the sky."

TV footage showed wreckage of the plane, including parts of what looked like its engine and wing, up against the wall of a small building. Rescue officials were working in the dark, with many using torches as they combed the area.

The last major plane crash in the country - and Pakistan's worst ever - occurred in July 2010 when an Airbus A321 aircraft operated by Airblue crashed in the hills overlooking Islamabad, killing all 152 people on board.

A government investigation blamed the pilot for veering off course amid stormy weather.

Bhoja Air started domestic operations in Pakistan in 1993 and eventually expanded to international flights to the United Arab Emirates in 1998. The company suspended operations in 2001 due to financial difficulties but resumed them only this year.

Relatives of those on the flight thronged the airline's counters at Karachi and Islamabad airports, crying.

"My brother's wife was on board this flight," said Naveed Khan, who was among family members who gathered at Karachi's airport. "We pray for the departed souls, what else can we do now?"

Wreckage, including smashed seats, clothes and jewellery belonging to passengers, was spread out over a half-mile area.

"I saw nothing but body parts and twisted metal on the ground when reached the scene," said one resident. "We collected up small pieces of human flesh and bundled them in cloth sheets like we collect grain."

Islamabad police chief Bani Yameen said that nobody on the ground appeared to be killed, "but apparently all onboard perished".

Civil aviation officials also reported survivors were unlikely, said defence minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar.

"It was really bad weather for a flight," said Navy captain Arshad Mahmood, who lives near the crash site. "The pilot was forced to move down to avoid clouds that were generating the lightening and thunder."

In a statement, Boeing extended its condolences to the families of the victims and offered technical assistance to Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority.