152 are killed as Airbus crashes into Pakistan forest in fog

A passenger plane crashed outside the Pakistani capital Islamabad today, killing all 152 people on board.

The internal flight, operated by Airblue, came down in heavy rain and fog over hills as it was preparing to land.

Two American citizens were among the dead although most of those killed were Pakistanis. Officials at the British High Commission in Islamabad said they were still trying to determine whether any Britons had been aboard.

Imtiaz Elahi, who is leading the rescue operation, said: "The situation at the site of the crash is heartbreaking. It is a great tragedy and I confirm it with pain that there are no survivors."

Rescuers dug with their bare hands to retrieve more than 90 bodies from the wreckage as fire and thick smoke hampered search efforts.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but defence minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar said terrorism was not suspected.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani sent the army to help in the remote, wooded area which has no roads and has had monsoon rains for several days.

The Pakistan Airline Pilot Association said the plane appeared to have strayed off course, possibly because of the weather.

Zahid Barolla, the secretary, said when wind conditions are not favourable pilots are often asked to circle the Margalla hills to use a different runway, but they normally stay within two miles of the airport. The flight, an Airbus A321, from the southern city of Karachi, carrying 146 passengers and six crew, lost contact with air traffic control at about 5.45 UK time shortly before it was due to land at Islamabad airport.

At the airport, hundreds of friends and relatives of those on board swarmed around ticket counters desperately seeking information. A large crowd surrounded a passenger list posted near the Airblue ticket counter.

The plane had no known technical issues and initial reports did not indicate that the pilots had sent any emergency signals.

Airblue operates in Pakistan as well as to the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Britain.

The last major plane crash in Pakistan was in July 2006 when a twin-engine aircraft operated by Pakistan International Airlines crashed into a field near the central Pakistani city of Multan, killing all 45 people on board.