Wednesday 03 / July / 2024
Rawalpindi: At least 17 people have been killed and more than a dozen injured after a Pakistani military plane crashed into a residential area near Rawalpindi.
Five crew members and 12 civilians were among the dead, the army said in a statement.
The aircraft was on a training flight when it crashed and set off a fire across several homes. One witness said the plane was ablaze before the crash.
The crashed plane — a King Air 350 turboprop — reportedly took a steep turn near its destination airport before coming down.
Pakistani Army's headquarters in Rawalpindi said the plane belonged to the Pakistani Army's aviation unit.
Witnesses at the scene said the aircraft crashed into a family home in a residential area around 02.00 (local time).
Pictures from the scene showed blackened buildings that had been reduced to rubble.
Several injured were rushed to hospital, Pakistan's emergency rescue services said. The bodies of the dead were taken away to be identified.
