17 dead after army plane crashes in Rawalpindi

As many as 17 people lost their lives after a Pakistan Army aviation aircraft crashed near Mora Kalu, Rawalpindi in wee hours of Tuesday.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release issued, 17 people, including five crew members and 12 civilians were killed when the aircraft which was on a routine training flight, crashed near Mora Kalu.

Following the crash, fire erupted in five houses in the locality. Rescue teams of the Pakistan Army and Rescue 1122 reached the site of the incident and extinguish fire, local media reported.

12 people were also injured in the incident and have been shifted to a hospital. The deceased including two pilots have been identified as Lieutenant Colonel Saqib, Lieutenant Colonel Wasim, Havaldar Ibne Ameen, Naib Subedar Afzal and Havaldar Rehmat.

One resident of the area told AFP that he heard the plane as it buzzed over his house, adding the aircraft appeared to be on fire before it crashed. "The sound was so scary," Ghulam Khan further said.

Another resident Mohammad Sadiq said he woke to the sound of explosion and when he stepped outside he saw huge flames. "People were screaming. We tried to help them but the flames were too high and the fire too intense, so we could not do anything. The dead includes seven members of one family and most of them were burned to death," Sadiq added.