Plane crash in Pakistan kills 152

The Airblue Airbus flew into the hills surrounding the capital as it approached the airport in poor weather.

A rescue official said: "It is a great tragedy, and I confirm it with pain that there are no survivors."

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. The plane left

Karachi at 7.45am for a two-hour scheduled flight to Islamabad.

Rescuers scouring the heavily forested hills found 50 bodies in the wreckage by mid-morning.

At Islamabad airport, hundreds of friends and relatives of those on board the flight crowded round ticket counters desperately seeking information.

The Pakistan Airline Pilot Association said the plane appeared to have strayed off course.

An airline spokesman said an investigation would be launched. The plane was no more than eight years old, and the pilots did not make any emergency calls, he added.