ATTOCK, July 19: The commander, PAF Minhas Base, Kamra, Air Commodore Abdul Hameed Qadri died in a plane crash near Sagree Village, some 7kms from here on Friday.

Reliable sources said that Commodore Qadri was on his routine flight when some fault developed in the engine of his F-7 fighter plane. He immediately dropped the fuel tanks over Ziarat Baila Village and later the plane crashed near Sagree village on the bank of Indus River at about 10.30am.

Police sources said that before the crash the pilot ejected himself from the plane but his parachute did not open and he fell on the ground and died. His body was immediately shifted to the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex hospital, Kamra, by the PAF Minhas Base rescue team.

The funeral prayer of the commander was offered at the PAF Minhas Base, which was attended by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir, high-ranking military and Air Force officers and a large number of PAC airmen. Later the body of Commander Qadri was sent to Lahore where he will be laid to rest with full military honour.