Daily Times

17 people, including five crew members and 12 civilians, lost their lives after a Pakistan Army aviation aircraft on a routine training flight crashed near Mora Kalu Rawalpindi.

According to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release issued on Tuesday, 12 others were injured in the incident.

The crew members martyred in the incident, including two pilots, were: Lt Col Saqib (pilot), Lt Col Waseem (pilot), Naib Subedar Afzal, Havaldar Ibne Ameen and Havaldar Rehmat.

Lt Col Saqib, Lt Col Wasim, Naib Subedar Afzal, Hawaldar Amin and Hawaldar Rahmat were among the martyred, the military’s media wing added.

Soon after the crash, a massive fire broke out that engulfed several houses in the locality.

Rescue teams of 1122 and Pakistan Army immediately reached the site and started the rescue operation.

ISPR added, rescue officials had extinguished the fire caused by the crash and moved the injured to a local hospital.

In 2016, a Pakistan International Airlines plane burst into flames after one of its two turboprop engines failed while travelling from remote northern Pakistan to Islamabad, killing more than 40 people.

The deadliest air disaster on Pakistani soil was in 2010 when an Airbus 321 operated by private airline Airblue and flying from Karachi crashed into the hills outside Islamabad while coming in to land, killing all 152 onboard.

President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed their grief and sorrow over the loss of lives in Rawalpindi aircraft crash.

In a statement, President Alvi condoled with the bereaved families and prayed for early recovery of those injured in the incident.

PM Imran also commiserated with the bereaved families and prayed for the recovery of those injured in the incident.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the crash and prayed for the high reward of the martyrs and courage for the bereaved families to bear this loss with fortitude.