Pakistani jets nearly collide

Two Pakistani passenger jets on domestic flights nearly collided in mid-air late today, and at least two people were injured as one of the planes took emergency evasive action, an airline official said.

The pilot of an Pakistan International Airlines flight with 179 passengers had to suddenly take his Airbus-310 up 210 metres as it was on a collision course with an Air Blue jet, said PIA spokeswoman Samina Pervez.

The near-miss happened over Rahimyarkhan in eastern Punjab province, around 700 km northeast of Karachi, the spokeswoman said.

The two planes were flying at an altitude of 11,200 metres at the time. On board the PIA plane, a female crew member suffered a broken arm, and a passenger injured an arm and an ear, Pervez said.