Deeply saddened: PM Modi condoles loss of lives in Pakistan plane crash

New Delhi, May 22: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday condoled the loss of lives in a plane crash in Pakistan and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.

"Deeply saddened by the loss of life due to a plane crash in Pakistan. Our condolences to the families of the deceased, and wishing speedy recovery to those injured," he wrote on Twitter.

At least 34 people have died when a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane with 107 people on board crashed into a densely populated residential area near the Jinnah International Airport here on Friday, officials said.

According to reports, flight PK-8303 took off from Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport and crashed in Model Colony, approximately 4 kilometers away from the airport.

The PIA Airbus A320 had 98 people on board including 91 passengers and seven flight crew, the report quoted the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) sources as saying.

Sindh Health Minister Azra Pechuho said that 34 bodies have so far been shifted to hospitals. "So far 19 bodies were shifted to Jinnah hospital and 15 to Civil hospital," she said. The minister said that three survivors have been retrieved from the debris.

The CAA sources said that its communication with the plane was cut off one minute before its landing. Several houses have been damaged in the area where the aircraft crashed.