PESHAWAR: A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft crashed during landing at the Peshawar Air Base, according to a PAF statement.
“Pakistan Air Force reports with regret that a PAF FT-7PG trainer aircraft while recovering from a routine operational training mission crashed during landing at Peshawar Air Base. Rescue operation is in progress,” the air force said in a statement after the incident.
According to official, the two pilots flying the aircraft were also martyred in the incident. The PAF is yet to confirm the death of the two pilots.
Official said the aircraft crashed around 11:40am near the customs landing runway. It is believed that the plane crashed due to a technical fault.
An eye-witness told media, “The pilots tried to save the nearby civilian population and steered the jet towards the runway but it blew up during crash-landing.”
Smoke could be seen rising from the vicinity of the airport after the incident.
An emergency was declared at the airport after the incident. However, airport sources said the rescue staff managed to douse the flames and clear the runway.
