Islamabad, Pakistan – Despite initial reports that some passengers had survived the Airblue crash in Islamabad yesterday, it has now been confirmed that all 152 passengers have perished. The survival reports had come from the Interior Ministry, with Islamabad deputy commissioner Amir Ahmed calling it a ‘miracle’. However, today Imtiaz Elahi, the chairman of the Capital Development Authority, told the Associated Press that “It is a great tragedy, and I confirm it with pain that there are no survivors.” He also said that “The situation at the site of the crash is heartbreaking,”

Rescue worker Dawar Adnan said “I’m seeing only body parts,” and “This is a very horrible scene. We have scanned almost all the area, but there is no chance of any survivors.” Another rescuer, Arshad Javed, said “All we could see were charred hands or feet. I collected two heads, two legs and two hands in a bag. We shouted if anyone was there alive, but heard no voice.”

The Airbus 321 that crashed was ten years old and according to Airblue spokesman Raheel Ahmed had no technical faults. He also said the pilot had 25,000 flying hours of experience gained over 35 years.

The Pakistani government have declared a national day of mourning. Six members of the Youth Parliament of Pakistan were on board the plane when it crashed. USA President Obama has issued a statement saying “Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those touched by this horrible accident.” As yet there has been no conclusion as to what caused the crash.