Bangladesh Military Jet Crashes Into School, Kills 19
At least 19 people have died and over 160 others were injured after a Bangladeshi Air Force training jet crashed into a school in Dhaka, the country’s capital.
The F-7 BGI aircraft, used for training purposes, went down shortly after take-off on Monday, slamming into the Milestone School and College in the northern suburb of Uttara.
According to the BBC, the crash triggered a massive fire, with dramatic footage showing thick black smoke billowing from the school grounds.
The Bangladesh military confirmed that the jet had taken off at 13:06 local time (08:06 GMT+1) for a routine training exercise but encountered a mechanical failure mid-air.
The pilot, among the 19 confirmed dead, was unable to eject before impact, according to an official statement from the armed forces.
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More than 50 people were rushed to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery with severe injuries. The school caters to students aged between four and eighteen.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos and devastation.
“The plane hit the building directly,” Rezaul Islam, a teacher at the school, told the BBC.
Another staff member, Masud Tarik, told Reuters he heard an explosion and turned to see flames and smoke engulfing part of the campus.
Emergency response teams, including nine fire units and six ambulances, were quickly deployed. Images from the site show firefighters and medics working through rubble while bystanders watched from nearby rooftops.
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Interim Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus, in a post on X, offered condolences and ordered an immediate investigation.
“This is a moment of deep sorrow for the nation. All relevant authorities must treat this with the highest urgency,” he said.
In response to the tragedy, the government has declared Tuesday a national day of mourning. Flags across the country will fly at half-mast.
The crash adds to growing concerns over the safety of ageing military aircraft in Bangladesh, as calls mount for a comprehensive review of the air force’s fleet and maintenance protocols.