ISLAMABAD, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- An aircraft of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) crashed into Mianwali district of the country's east Punjab province on Tuesday, killing two pilots, a PAF statement said.
The dual-seat aircraft FT-7 was on its routine operational training mission when it crashed shortly after taking off from the airbase, leaving both pilots including a squadron leader and a flight officer killed, a PAF spokesperson later confirmed in a conversation with Xinhua.
The air force headquarters have ordered an inquiry to determine the cause of the crash.
Talking to Xinhua, Obaid Ullah Khan, District In-charge of Rescue 1122, a state-owned rescue organization in Mianwali, said that no loss of life has been reported on the ground as the plane crashed in an open field far away from the residential settlement.
He said that the aircraft caught fire before hitting the ground, which is one of the apparent reasons why the pilots did not get a chance to bail out of the crashing aircraft.
The PAF teams have cordoned off the area for investigation, and will remove the debris of the aircraft, he added.
