Fighter jet crashes in Balochistan, no casualties

Pilot ejected successfully and safely as plane crashed near the Uthal town of Balochistan.

KARACHI: A Pakistani fighter jet crashed in the south of the country Tuesday while on routine training but the pilot ejected safely and there were no casualties on the ground, an air force official said.

The French-built Mirage jet took off from the Pakistan Air Force's Masroor Base in Arabian Sea port city of Karachi and crashed near the town of Uthal in Balochistan, air force spokesman Squadron Leader Mohammad Nadeem told AFP.

Uthal is around 60 kilometres west of Karachi.

"The pilot ejected successfully and safely," the spokesman said, adding the cause of the accident would be determined after an investigation.

No loss of civilian life or property was reported on ground, he said.

It was the second Mirage aircraft crash in the region in a month. A Mirage-V crashed on May 11 while its pilot ejected safely as well.

The Pakistan Air Force has a fleet of Chinese aircraft including F-7PGs and A-5s, plus US-built F-16s and French Mirages. It recently acquired JF-17s Thunder jets, manufactured jointly by China and Pakistan.