Turkey voices sorrow over deadly Pakistan plane crash

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) – Turkey on Monday expressed grief over the death of 17 people, including five military personnel, in a plane crash in Pakistan, some 30 kilometers from the capital Islamabad.

“We received the news with deep sorrow that a Pakistan Air Force plane on a training mission crashed into a residential area in the city of Rawalpindi of Pakistan,” a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said on Monday.

The statement offered condolences to Pakistan's government as well as to bereaved people.

“We wish Allah's mercy upon those who lost their lives in this tragic accident, convey our condolences to the friendly government and the brotherly people of Pakistan,” the statement added.

According to a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military's media wing, the aircraft was on a routine training flight when it crashed.

There was, however, no immediate word on the cause of the accident. Two lieutenant colonel pilots were among the five deceased military personnel.

Soon after the crash, a massive fire broke out and engulfed several houses in the vicinity.