Pakistani army plane crashes into homes, killing at least 18

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Pakistani army soldiers stand guard the site of a plane crash in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on July 30. A small Pakistani military plane crashed into a residential area near the garrison city of Rawalpindi before dawn, killing some people, officials said. (AP)

A Pakistani military plane on a training fl ight crashed into homes near the garrison city of Rawalpindi before dawn on Tuesday, killing at least 18 people, most of them on the ground. Fires, damaged homes and debris were visible in Mora Kalu village on the outskirts of Rawalpindi after daybreak. After rescue efforts ended, troops and police cordoned off the residential area to search for plane debris and investigate the crash site. Rescue officials said there were no survivors on the plane and that 13 civilians were killed on the ground.

The army said in a statement that five crew members, including two pilots, died in the crash. Farooq Butt, an official at the staterun emergency service, said 15 people were also injured in the crash. There were concerns the death toll could rise further since some of those injured were in critical condition. “We have moved all the bodies and injured persons to hospitals,” Butt told The Associated Press.

“Most of the victims received burn injuries.” He added that there were children among the dead. Residents said they woke up when they heard an explosion and saw debris of a burning plane near their homes. Army helicopters were seen hovering over the crash site later. “My sister, her husband and their three children were killed when the plane crashed into their home,” said Mohammad Mustafa, as he sobbed near his sister’s badly damaged home. He said rescuers and troops quickly reached the area after the crash.

Several men and women who lost their relatives in the crash were seen wailing and crying as rescuers put charred bodies of the victims into ambulances. Footage on social media showed the plane was flying very low before it quickly went down. Abdul Rehman, a medical doctor, said at least three homes were badly damaged and the pilots’ bodies had been retrieved. (AP)

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