ISLAMABAD: At least two people were killed when an aircraft spraying pesticide to eliminate locusts crashed in Cholistan’s Tehsil Sadiqabad on Sunday. The aircraft was crashed at Chak No 215 near Sadiqabad due to a technical fault resulting in death of both the pilots on board the plane. The Assistant Commissioner Sadiqabad rushed to the spot of the plane crash with rescue teams and heavy contingents of police. The police cordoned off the spot of the plane crash. According to Rescue 1122 sources, an aircraft busy in spraying pesticides for locusts attack in Cholistan crashed in the desert. Its pilot Shoaib Malik and Engineer Fawad Butt died on the spot. Rescue 1122 teams, police and district administration reached the site of the incident. In 2019, widespread heavy rainfall during March and April in Balochistan created ideal ecological conditions for a rapid increase in the number of locusts. In anticipation of the outbreak, the Punjab government had directed officials to thwart a possible attack by conducting large-scale aerial and land spraying of pesticide.