Plane crashes near Islamabad, over 120 passengers on board

ISLAMABAD: A civilian aircraft crashed in bad weather near Islamabad's international airport on Friday, Pakistan television channels reported.

According to TV reports, there were over 120 passengers on board at the time of the crash.

According to initial reports, the plane was a Boeing 737 and belonged to Bhoja Airline. The flight BHO-213 from Karachi came down outside Islamabad airport, a police official said, adding that rescue teams were on their way to the site.

The bad weather is hampering the rescue operation.

Civil aviation officials were not immediately available for comment.

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.

Further details are awaited.

(With inputs from Agencies)