Air collision kills four, injures four in Pakistan

At least four people were killed and four others sustained injuries when two Pakistan Air Force (PAF) light aircrafts collided mid-air on Thursday.

The Mushshak planes were on a routine training mission collided and fell on nearby houses in the Risalpur area of Nowshehra, the northwest of Islamabad.

Of the four people killed, two were instructors and two were trainee pilots, while among the injured, three were reported to be children.

An eye witness while speaking to the media said the wings of both the aircrafts collided with each other, setting the aircraft on fire.

Resultantly, the two planes caught fire and crashed on two houses below, destroying their roofs. He said a huge fire erupted after a plane crashed into the residential area.

One of the two-seater propeller aircrafts crashed on a house, injuring a girl and an elderly man, while the second fell in nearby fields in the Rashkai area of Nowshehra.

District Police Office (DPO) Mohammad Hussain confirmed, “Two PAF trainer aircraft collided mid-air. Four pilots were killed, two were trainee pilots and two were instructors. One of the aircraft crashed over a house, injuring a girl and an elderly man, and the second plane crashed in the fields”.

Soon after the incident, security forces cordoned off the area and locals began rescue efforts. The injured were shifted to a local hospital.

It was the sixth PAF crash within seven months and the second in a week, raising questions over the safety of largely Chinese and locally made fleet.

On May 11, a fighter jet crashed near the southwestern town of Sonmiani but the pilot managed to eject safely.

According to the initial reports, the Mushshak, a basic training aircraft used by PAF, caused many accidents in the past. Six planes were lost to crashes separately in August 2008, March 2009, September 2009, April 2010, December 2010 and June 2011.

Earlier in February 2012, two people were killed in an aircraft crash in the Model Town area of Lahore.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=22554

Posted by Faisal Farooq on May 17 2012. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.