Pakistan's air force chief dies in crash

A Pakistani air force plane crashed today in a remote region of north-western Pakistan. The air force chief Mushaf Ali Mir was among the 17 deaths, said the Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

Rescue crews were at the site of the crash near Kohat, about 150 miles north-west of the capital Islamabad, Air Commodore Sarfraz Ahmad said, but there were no survivors.

The Air Force Chief was on his way to Kohat to inspect an air base when the plane went down. The skies were overcast, Ahmad said, although there were no immediate indications of what caused the crash. An inquiry has been ordered.

The vice chief of the Pakistan Air Force Syed Qaiser Hussain has been appointed acting chief of the air force, he said.