131 passengers feared dead after plane crashes in Pakistan

A passenger plane crashed while trying to land during bad weather near Islamabad on Friday, police said.
It has been reported that 131 people were on board the Bhoja airline flight from Karachi although earlier figures were 126 and 127 on board.
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 flashlights as they combed the area.
State television reported that all hospitals in Islamabad and the nearby city of Rawalpindi had been put on high alert after the crash.
Fire erupted after the crash. The wreckage was on fire, the plane was completely destroyed.
Saifur Rehman, an official from the police rescue team said the plane came down in Hussain Abad village, about three kilometres from the main Islamabad highway.
A violent rain and wind storm was lashing parts of the capital around thesame time as the crash.
"We can see the plane's wreckage is on fire and we are trying to extinguish it," Rehman said at the scene. "We are looking for survivors."
In July 2010, an Airbus 321 passenger jet operated by the private airline Airblue crashed into hills overlooking Islamabad while coming in to land after a flight from Karachi, killing 152 people on board.