Pakistani plane crashes with 127 on board

By Mahawish Rezvi and Chris Allbritton

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A Pakistani airliner with 127 people on board crashed in bad weather as it came in to land in Islamabad on Friday, scattering wreckage and leaving no sign of survivors.

The Boeing 737, operated by local airline Bhoja Air, was flying to the capital from Pakistan's biggest city and business hub Karachi. It crashed into wheat fields more than 5 miles from the airport.

Rawal Khan Maitla, director general of Emergency Disaster Management for the Capital Development Authority, said there were no survivors.

Rescue workers walked through mud at the crash site with flashlights or with the lights of their cellphones looking for passengers' remains. One held up a tattered e-ticket receipt.

Body parts, wallets and eyeglasses lay among wreckage strewn in a small settlement just outside Islamabad.

"It was as if the entire sky had burst into flames," said a resident of the area.

Parts of the aircraft smashed into electricity poles, blanketing the area in darkness, or into houses. There were no reports of casualties on the ground.

Bhoja Air said the airplane crashed during its approach in Islamabad due to bad weather. There was no indication from the government that it could have been the result of foul play.