Pakistan Air Force fighter jet F-16 crashes near Islamabad

A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft has crashed near Islamabad.

A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) F-16 aircraft crashed near Shakarparian, Islamabad on Wednesday during rehearsals for the March 23 parade, an air force spokesperson confirmed.

Rescue teams rushed to the site of the crash while a board of inquiry has been ordered by Air Headquarters to determine the cause of the accident, the statement added.

The statement, however, made no mention of the pilots of the aircraft. “We are ascertaining the losses,” a PAF spokesman told Reuters by phone.

"Pakistan Air Force reports with regret that a PAF F-16 aircraft crashed near Shakarparian, Islamabad duing the rehearsals of March 23 parade. A board of inquiry has been ordered by the Air Headquarters to determine the cause of accident," the PAF statement says. 

Shakarparian is a hill and famous picnic spot for residents in the capital, located near the Zero Point Interchange.