Pakistan’s aviation minister has said that human error” on the part of the pilot, the co-pilot and air traffic control caused last month’s Pakistan International Airlines crash in the port city of Karachi that killed 97 people.
The announcement shed new light on the tragedy after Pakistani investigators earlier said only that the crash resulted from engine failure.
It also revealed previously unconfirmed details, including that the plane had made a failed attempt at landing during which its engines apparently scraped the runway, causing significant damage.
The plane went down in a residential area near Jinnah International Airport on May 22, just days after Pakistan lifted restrictions imposed over the coronavirus pandemic and resumed domestic flights ahead of the major Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.