Fiery plane crash in Karachi kills 8 in crew

 Pakistani volunteers and firefighters struggle to extinguish a fire at the site of a plane crash in Karachi, Pakistan on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010. A cargo plane crashed into a housing complex in Pakistan's largest city soon after takeoff Sunday, setting off a huge blaze. The aircraft had eight crew on board, the civil aviation authority said.
Pakistani volunteers and firefighters struggle to extinguish a fire at the site of a plane crash in Karachi, Pakistan on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010. A cargo plane crashed into a housing complex in Pakistan's largest city soon after takeoff Sunday, setting off a huge blaze. The aircraft had eight crew on board, the civil aviation authority said.

— A cargo plane crashed into a housing complex in Pakistan’s largest city soon after takeoff today, setting off a huge blaze and killing all eight Russian crew members onboard, the 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. Karachi time, when many people in the upscale neighborhood of the city were asleep.

One of the plane’s engines was on fire when it flew overhead, several witnesses said. The plane exploded into flames, setting several buildings aflame.

Firetrucks sprayed foam on the crash site. As the flames died down, rescuers began searching through the destroyed buildings, looking for bodies or survivors.

The plane crashed in an upscale housing complex reserved mostly for naval officers and their families.

Hundreds of people turned up to view the sight and film it with their cell phones, hampering access for emergency workers.

Abdul Razak, a doctor,said one person with severe burns was being treated at a hospital.

Aviation authority spokesman Pervais George said the plane was heading to Sudan when it went down two minutes after takeoff. He said the eight crew members were dead.

Local television reported 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.

The crash was the third in less than five months in Pakistan.

Front Section, Pages 17 on 11/28/2010

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