Cargo plane crash jolts Pakistan city

KARACHI, Pakistan – A cargo plane crashed into a housing complex in Karachi soon after takeoff today, setting off a huge blaze and killing all eight Russian crew on board, Pakistan’s civil aviation authority said.

At least one person on the ground was injured, but the Russian-made plane missed several densely populated apartment blocks by a few hundred yards. About 20 houses were damaged or destroyed though most were under construction and believed to be unoccupied, locals said.

The Sudan-bound plane crashed around 1:50 a.m., when many people in the upscale neighborhood of Pakistan’s largest city were asleep. One of the plane’s engines was on fire when it flew overhead, several witnesses said.

The plane exploded into flames, sending fire and smoke into the night sky and setting off loud explosions.

Many people initially thought the blast was from a bomb, a regular event in militant-torn Pakistan.

“I was sleeping and the huge blast awoke me. I thought some suicide attack might have occurred and I run outside,” said Rehan Hashmi.

Aviation authority spokesman Pervais George said the plane was an Il-89, a multipurpose cargo plane that is often used for ferrying humanitarian aid to developing countries, as well as other large items.