Pakistan Mourns Plane Crash Victims
- 14 years ago
Pakistan mourns victims of Wednesday's deadly plane crash.
In Karachi, grieving friends and families gathered to attend funeral prayers for two of those who died in the worst aviation accident on Pakistani soil.
All 152 passengers on board lost their lives.
More funerals are expected to take place in Karachi and across Pakistan as the bodies- many burnt beyond recognition- are identified by DNA tests.
A local politician who lost a relative in the crash described the nation's pain.
[Haji Hanif Tayyeb, Relative of Crash Victim and Local Politician]:
"This is a tragic incident. Newly married couples were among the victims. It is a loss of innocent life. The whole nation is exhausted by intense pain."
In the capital Islamabad near the crash site, flags were flying at half mast as the country observed a day of mourning for those killed.
Distraught relatives flocked to a registration center set up to accommodate them as they waited for the bodies to be identified so they can be returned home.
[Mohammad Shahzad, Relative of Crash Victim]:
"Everyone is crying; the situation at home is very bad. His mother is lying unconscious."
Police said that heavy monsoon rains in the capital were hampering recovery efforts.
The Airbus 321 crashed into a heavily wooded hillside making access difficult for recovering the bodies.
Investigators fear torrential rain may damage crucial evidence needed to help determine the cause of the crash - believed to be the result of bad weather.
In Karachi, grieving friends and families gathered to attend funeral prayers for two of those who died in the worst aviation accident on Pakistani soil.
All 152 passengers on board lost their lives.
More funerals are expected to take place in Karachi and across Pakistan as the bodies- many burnt beyond recognition- are identified by DNA tests.
A local politician who lost a relative in the crash described the nation's pain.
[Haji Hanif Tayyeb, Relative of Crash Victim and Local Politician]:
"This is a tragic incident. Newly married couples were among the victims. It is a loss of innocent life. The whole nation is exhausted by intense pain."
In the capital Islamabad near the crash site, flags were flying at half mast as the country observed a day of mourning for those killed.
Distraught relatives flocked to a registration center set up to accommodate them as they waited for the bodies to be identified so they can be returned home.
[Mohammad Shahzad, Relative of Crash Victim]:
"Everyone is crying; the situation at home is very bad. His mother is lying unconscious."
Police said that heavy monsoon rains in the capital were hampering recovery efforts.
The Airbus 321 crashed into a heavily wooded hillside making access difficult for recovering the bodies.
Investigators fear torrential rain may damage crucial evidence needed to help determine the cause of the crash - believed to be the result of bad weather.