A plane with more than 150 people on board has crashed in hills north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

Officials said five bodies had been recovered and at least three injured people had been taken to hospital.

Police said it was an Airblue flight from Karachi to Islamabad.

The plane came down in the Margalla Hills to the north of the capital, and Pakistani television showed images of smoke and flames on a foggy hillside, with helicopters flying overhead.

A huge rescue effort has been launched.

The plane, reported to be an Airbus A321 with 146 passengers and six crew on board, is thought to have left Karachi at 0750 (0350 GMT).

Officials said the plane, believed to be flight 202, lost contact with the control tower minutes before landing.

An Express 24/7 television journalist at the scene of the crash said he had seen 15 bodies.

"They are badly mutilated and burnt," Sabur Ali Sayed said, "and there are two women are among the dead."

He added: "A good number of rescue workers have reached the site. Other people have reached here on their own. The plane is totally destroyed. The pieces and parts scattered over a large distance. Some parts of the plane are still burning. Some bushes have been burnt."

Officials said forestry guards in the Margalla Hills searching for survivors had seen five bodies.

Anjum Rahman, a journalist with Express 24/7 television in Islamabad, said she saw the plane flying over the rooftops of houses where she lives.

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