Zafar Masud: The survivor of the PK-8303 crash in Karachi

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Flight 8303 was en-route to Karachi from Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore in Pakistan. On 22 May 2020, the Airbus A320 crashed in model colony moments shy from its landing.

Of the 91 passengers and 8 crew onboard the aircraft (99 total onboard), 97 were killed, and two passengers survived with injuries.

Eight people on the ground were also injured in the accident, and one of them later died from their injuries. Zubair is one of only two victims to have survived the unfortunate Friday’s fatal crash with the only other survivor being Zafar Masud, a bank executive of the Bank of Punjab.

When PK8303, an Airbus A320 from Lahore to Karachi, began to shake violently, Zubair said he thought it was just turbulence. The pilot then announced on the intercom that the landing could be “troublesome.”

“Suddenly the plane jerked violently, once and then again,” he said. Moments later, as it approached the international airport, the plane crashed into an overcrowded residential neighbourhood of Karachi known as Model Colony.

“I saw so much smoke and fire. I heard people crying, children crying,” Zubair said. The survivor managed to crawl his way out of the rubble and smoke and was eventually rushed to a hospital. He had suffered burns but was in a stable condition.

A further three people on the ground were injured, according to local media reports.
Officials said they’d retrieved all bodies from the scene.

Mr Zafar Masud has been awarded a souvenir as well