A Pakistani military plane on a training flight has crashed into homes near the garrison city of Rawalpindi, killing at least 17 people, most of them on the ground.
Fires, damaged homes and debris were visible in Mora Kalu village on the outskirts of Rawalpindi following the incident before dawn on Tuesday.
Troops and police cordoned off the residential area to search for plane debris and investigative evidence after the rescue efforts had ended.
Five soldiers, including two army pilots, and at least 12 civilians were killed, the military said in a statement.
Farooq Butt, an official at the state-run emergency service, said an additional 15 people were injured.
Rescue officials said the death toll could rise since some of those injured were critical.
"We have shifted all the bodies and injured persons to hospitals," he told the Associated Press news agency. "Most of the victims received burn injuries and children are among the dead."
'Huge explosion'
Residents said they woke up when they heard an explosion and saw debris of a burning plane near their homes. Army helicopters were seen hovering over the crash site later.
"I woke to the sound of a huge explosion. I stepped out of my house and saw huge flames and we rushed to the site," said Mohammad Sadiq told AFP.
"People were screaming. We tried to help them but the flames were too high and the fire too intense, so we could not do anything. The dead includes seven members of one family and most of them were burned to death."/Aljezeera news