The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said a Mushshak training aircraft operated by Pakistan Army Aviation crashed near Nawan Killi in Quetta around midday due to a technical fault.
According to the military’s media wing, both pilots aboard the aircraft were martyred in the incident. They were identified as Major Husnain Shehzad Humayun, the instructor, and Captain Abdul Samad, who was undergoing training.
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed grief over the deaths of the two pilots and extended his condolences to their bereaved families.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed sorrow over the incident, according to state-run Associated Press of Pakistan.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi likewise conveyed his condolences over the loss of the two officers. “In this hour of sorrow, we stand with the martyrs’ bereaved families,” he said in a statement.
In June, a Pakistan Army Aviation Mi-17 helicopter crashed near Muzaffarabad during take-off due to a technical fault, killing all personnel on board.
That same month, a Pakistan Air Force aircraft crashed during a routine training sortie in Mardan, resulting in the martyrdom of both pilots aboard.
In September last year, an army helicopter crashed in Chilas, in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district, after developing a technical fault. All five crew members were martyred in the incident.
