Dhaka, MINA – A Bangladeshi Air Force training jet has crashed into a school and college campus in the capital, Dhaka, killing 20 people, including the pilot, the military announced in a statement.
The F-7 BGI aircraft went down at the Milestone School and College campus in Dhaka’s Uttara area on Monday, at approximately 1:00 PM (07:00 GMT), while students were taking exams or attending regular classes, Al Jazeera reported.
The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Mohammed Toukir Islam, had made “every effort to divert the aircraft from a densely populated area to a less populated location,” according to the military.
The military stated it would investigate the cause of the crash, which injured 171 people.
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Most of the injured were between eight and 14 years old, said Mohammad Maruf Islam, joint director of the National Institute of Plastic Surgery and Burn Hospital Dhaka, where many victims were being treated.
Following the crash, a large fire was visible near the courtyard, spewing thick smoke into the sky, as crowds watched from a distance.
Firefighters sprayed water onto the wreckage of the destroyed aircraft, which appeared to have struck the side of a building, damaging iron grilles and creating a gaping hole in the structure.
Videos on social media showed people screaming and crying while others tried to comfort them.
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“When I picked up my children and went to the gate, I realized something was coming from behind. I heard an explosion. When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke,” said Masud Tarik, a teacher at the school.
An ambulance carrying injured victims was seen leaving the scene after the air force training jet crashed at the Milestone College campus in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Many victims were in critical condition at the burn hospital and other local hospitals, reports indicated.
Interim government head Muhammad Yunus announced a national day of mourning for Tuesday.
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Yunus expressed “deep grief and sorrow” over the incident in a post on X.
“The irreparable losses suffered by the air force, students, parents, teachers and staff, and others in this accident,” he said.
He also announced that an emergency hotline had been activated at the National Institute of Plastic Surgery and Burn Hospital after the accident. [Shibgho]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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