Pilots dead as Pak Army plane crashes in Gujranwala

Training plane crashed because of technical problems: ISPR

GUJRANWALA: According to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), a Pakistan Army training plane crashed in Gujranwala, killing both of its pilots, Express News reported on Tuesday.

ISPR further stated that the plane crashed because of technical problems.

The military said in a statement a "small two-seater Mushshak aircraft on a routine training flight crashed due to technical fault near Gujranwala," 151 kilometres southeast of Islamabad.

"Both the pilots embraced shahadat (martyrdom)", it added.

The plane caught fire after the crash, sources said.

Police and army officials have reached the site of the crash and cordoned off the area while a rescue operation is underway.

The Pakistan army uses Mushshak aircraft to train pilots commissioned in its aviation wing.

The aircraft, which is manufactured indigenously, is a big source of export earnings for Pakistan and sold to several Middle Eastern countries.

The exact cost of the aircraft and number sold have not been made public.