KARACHI: A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft crashed into a bus terminal in Yusuf Goth area here on Tuesday, killing both its pilots as well as two civilians on the ground.

According to a PAF spokesman, the fighter jet was on routine training mission when it went down near Baldia Town, apparently because of a technical fault. The pilots killed were identified as Wing Commander Khurram Samad and Squadron Leader Umair Elahi.

Police said a bus driver, Ali Akbar, and a painter, Sajid, were also killed at the place of the crash. Two buses were destroyed and another was damaged.

The bodies were shifted to civil hospital. Medico-legal official Dr Nisar Ali Shah said the head of Wing Commander Samad had been smashed after being hit by a ‘hard and blunt item’. He said the pilot could not eject because his parachute got stuck to his back.

The two civilians died of burn injuries, Dr Shah said.

The PAF spokesperson said that fire tenders and ambulances were sent to the scene of the crash immediately to carry out rescue work.

An inquiry has been ordered by the PAF headquarters to determine the cause of the accident.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2014