Authorities engaged in the clean up and recovery of the Air Blue flight that crashed just outside Islamabad on Wednesday morning have reportedly been hampered in their effort by poor weather conditions.

According to Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, 115 bodies had been recovered by Wednesday night.

The site is reported to be a two-hour hike through mud from the nearest road, requiring rescue workers to haul body bags lashed between sticks carried on their shoulders.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Rehman Malik, the Pakistani Interior Minister, said the Airbus 321 was at 2,600 feet and preparing to land at Islamabad's Benazir Bhutto International Airport when air traffic controllers told the pilot to change his approach.

In response, the reportedly altered course for a different approach included a sudden ascent to 3,000 feet, according to Malik.  He reportedly characterized the sudden change in altitude as "an unaccounted for factor."

According to reports, the plane’s altered course pointed the plane toward the Margalla Hills, which were hidden by heavy fog.
The plane is reported to be between 8 and 10 years old.

It is reported that there have not been any previous crashes of the Airbus 321 model, a medium-range commercial airliner.  At least 606 Airbus 321 jets have reportedly been delivered since 1994.

Air Blue, a Karachi-based domestic airline, reportedly began service in 2004, and also flies to the United Arab Emirates, Oman and the United Kingdom.