Pak Air Force mid-air plane collision kills four pilots

Islamabad, May 17 (ANI): Two Pakistan Air Force light aircraft collided mid-air, killing four pilots during a routine training mission northwest of Islamabad, police said.

The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.

"Two Pakistan Air Force trainer aircraft collided mid-air. Four pilots were killed, two were trainee pilots and two were instructors," The Dawn quoted district police officer Mohammad Hussain, as saying.

It was the sixth Pakistan Air Force crash in seven months and the second in a week, raising concerns over the safety of its largely Chinese and locally made fleet.

One of the two-seater propeller Mushshak planes crashed on a house, injuring a girl and an elderly man, and the second fell in nearby fields in Rashkai area, 160 kilometres northwest of Islamabad, said police officials.

Last Friday, a fighter jet crashed near the southwestern town of Sonmiani but the pilot managed to eject safely.

The Pakistan Air Force has a fleet of Chinese aircrafts, including F-7PGs and A-5s, U.S.-built F-16s and French Mirages. It recently acquired medium-tech JF-17, or Thunder jets, manufactured jointly by China and Pakistan. (ANI)