Cargo plane crashes in Karachi

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A cargo aircraft crashed within a naval compound in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi on Sunday, witnesses said.

The Il-76 aircraft, which had an eight-member crew on board, crashed near the Dalmia area within the cantonment in Karachi shortly before 2 am on Sunday.

A witness told the Geo News channel that he had seen one engine of the aircraft on fire before it crashed.

The aeroplane then exploded and burst into flames, causing damage on the ground, the witness said.

The Police, rescue teams and law enforcement personnel rushed to the crash site, located in a thickly populated area.

Casualties due to the crash could not immediately be ascertained. Footage on TV showed thick smoke rising into the sky at the crash site.

The aircraft was flying from Karachi to Khartoum in Sudan, media reports said.

On November 5, all 21 people on board a small aircraft chartered by an international oil company were killed when it crashed shortly after taking off from the airport in Karachi.

That aircraft crashed within an army ordnance depot.