Two Pakistan Army Aviation pilots were killed on Monday when their trainer aircraft crashed during a routine training mission in Punjab province, the military said.

The Mushshak aircraft crashed in Gujrat city, some 150 km from Lahore, the military’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

Both the pilots, Major Umer — who was the instructor pilot and Lieutenant Fiazan, a student pilot — were killed in the accident, the Army said in a statement.

Developed from Saab Safari, the Mushshak is a license-built fixed-gear basic trainer aircraft used by the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force.

Pakistan has a chequered military and civilian aviation safety record, with frequent plane and helicopter crashes over the years.

On March 23, an F-16 aircraft crashed near Shakarparian in Islamabad during rehearsals for the Pakistan Day Parade. Wing Commander Nauman Akram was killed in the crash.

In July 2019, 17 people lost their lives after a military aircraft crashed into a populated area in Rawalpindi. Five Army officials and 12 civilians were killed in the crash, the ISPR had said.

And in 2016 a Pakistan International Airlines plane burst into flames after one of its engines failed, killing more than 40 people.