Two PAF officers among four killed in jet crash
04 June, 2014
KARACHI: A Pakistan Air Force fighter plane crashed near a bus terminal in Baldia Town after developing a technical fault during a routine operational training mission on Tuesday, killing both pilots and two people on ground.
PAF spokesperson Nadeem Khan confirmed the martyrdom of Wing Commander Khurram Samad and Squadron Leader Umair Elahi in the accident, though there was no mention of any civilian casualties in the statement.
However, the Civil Hospital Karachi confirmed that two civilians had also been killed and four others injured in the tragic crash, which occurred near a bus terminal in Baldia's Yousuf Goth area.
According to CHK MLO Nisar Shah, the dead were identified as 36-year-old Sajid, a painter by profession, and 35-year-old bus driver, Ali Akbar.
A PAF rescue helicopter with medical experts and officers from the nearby Masroor Airbase immediately reached the crash site, which was cordoned off by area police and paramilitary soldiers as fire tenders tried to doused the resultant blaze.
SSP West Irfan Baloch said the fire had spread till the bus terminal, damaging at least three buses, before it was brought under control by fire fighters.
A police official who had been present at the site said some of the injured were taken to a nearby private hospital for treatment and their identities could not be ascertained.
The PAF spokesman asserted that a thorough probe would be conducted into the accident and all aggrieved parties would be duly compensated.
"The PAF, as per the rules, will provide compensation for the loss of life, as well as cover property and medical expenses of the injured. A board of inquiry has been set up by Air Headquarters and a thorough investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the crash," he said.
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