October 17, 2003	Friday	Sha'aban 20, 1424

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KARACHI, Oct 16: A Mirage fighter aircraft crashed on Thursday inside the Malir Cantonment, APP quoted a PAF statement as saying.

The aircraft was on a routine training mission and had developed some technical problem, it said.

“The aircraft fell two miles east of the Quaid-i-Azam International Airport on an unoccupied barrack. The pilot ejected safely and there was no casualty on ground. Partial damage to property occurred.”

The Air Headquarters has ordered an enquiry, APP said.

Our Dadu correspondent adds: A fuel tank, jettisoned by a PAF aircraft on Thursday, fell into a well in a hilly area near Mehrab Palari (also known as Ashiq Palari) village located between Nooriabad and Thana Bula Khan police station in the Dadu district, police officials said.

The village is situated about 15 kilometres from the Sari police post.

Hyderabad Bureau adds: SP, Headquarters, Hyderabad, Mazhar Nawaz Sheikh, quoted an army official of the 18th Division’s headquarter of the Hyderabad garrison as saying that air force officials had confirmed that one of their aircraft had jettisoned a fuel tank in the area.

He said that a search had been conducted over an eight- kilometre wide area and had found nothing but the pieces of the fuel tank.

Officials of the Civil Aviation Authority in Hyderabad also denied rumour about a plane crash.