2 Americans among 152 dead in plane crash

Posted: Jul 28, 2010 6:41 AM by Bea Karnes, News First 5
Updated: Jul 28, 2010 6:42 AM

All 152 people aboard a Pakistani jet died when the passenger plane crashed into hills as it tried to land on Wednesday, an official told NBC News.

The head of Pakistan's civil defense body told NBC News that no one travelling aboard the Airblue flight had survived.

Earlier reports suggested that up to five survivors had been pulled from the wreckage after the plane smashed into heavily wooded hillside during a rainstorm. There was no explanation for the discrepancy, but reports often differ in the immediate aftermath of such events.

"Dead bodies are lying all around," Bin Yameen, a senior Islamabad police official told Reuters.

Rescuers said they had to dig through the debris with their bare hands, with flames and thick smoke hampering their work. There are no roads near the crash site, limiting access to rescue workers.

NBC News reported that muddy paths through the thickly wooded and foggy area were making it difficult for doctors and paramedics to reach the site by foot.

The cause of the crash of flight ED202 was not immediately clear, said Pervez George, a civil aviation official. He said the Airbus 321 was flying from Karachi to Islamabad.