DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) training aircraft crashed in Miran area of Purwa Tehsil, killing both pilots on-board here on Wednesday evening, officials said.
"Pakistan Air Force reports with regret that a PAF Mirage aircraft, while on a routine operational training mission, crashed south of Dera Ismail Khan," an air force spokesman said in a statement.
"A board of inquiry has been ordered by Air Headquarters to determine the cause of accident," the spokesman said.
The spokesman said that he would not share details about casualties, but local security officials said the plane´s pilot and co-pilot were "martyred" in the crash and that their bodies were handed over to the air force.
The District Police Officer (DPO) confirmed that the plane’s debris has been found, adding that rescue teams were dispatched to the crash site.
The DPO further added that the area had been experiencing a heavy downpour and suspected it to be the likely reason for the crash.
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) sources confirmed the incident and identified that crashed aircraft as a PAF Mirage-5.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the PAF had earlier said the Mirage was on a routine flight when it crashed near Dera Ismail Khan. However the PAF spokesman did not confirm whether the aircraft was a Mirage-III or a Mirage-5.
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