19 Killed as Air Force Training Jet Crashes Into School
The death toll is expected to rise after a Bangladeshi military aircraft crashed down in Dhaka.
Stringer/Stringer/Reuters
At least 19 people have died after an Air Force training aircraft crashed into a school campus in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka.
Children are among the victims of the crash at Milestone School and College, according to Reuters, with the confirmed number of fatalities expected to rise.
One of the deceased is the pilot of the F-7 BGI aircraft, Associated Press reported. More than 100 people, many of them students, were also injured in the crash, which occurred in Dhaka’s northern Uttara area.
“Bangladesh Air Force’s F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed in Uttara. The aircraft took off at 13:06 [02:06 ET],” the country’s military said in a statement.
Parents and families of Milestone School and College students gather at the college campus looking for their children after a Bangladesh Air Force F7 aircraft crashed into the building
Salahuddin Ahmed/Drik/Getty Images
The plane went down shortly after takeoff and caught fire, sending huge plumes of black smoke billowing into the air. The cause of the crash is not yet known.
“A third-grade student was brought in dead, and three others, aged 12, 14, and 40, were admitted to the hospital,” said Bidhan Sarker, head of the burns unit at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, where dozens of victims were taken, according to Reuters.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Masud Tarik, a teacher at the school, described how parents were picking up their children at the school gate when the plane came crashing down.
“I heard an explosion,” Tarik told Reuters. “When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke.”
The death toll is expected to rise as a search and rescue operation continues at the crash site.
Abdul Goni/AFP via Getty Images
Images from the scene show emergency responders desperately searching for survivors in the rubble of the crash site.
Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser to the interim government in Bangladesh, vowed that a full investigation would be conducted, while expressing his “deep grief and sorrow” for the victims of the tragedy.
“The loss suffered by the Air Force, the students, parents, teachers, and staff of Milestone School and College, as well as others affected by this accident, is irreparable,” Yunus said in a statement. “This is a moment of profound pain for the nation.
“The government will take necessary measures to investigate the cause of the accident and ensure all forms of assistance.”
Bangladesh will observe a national day of mourning on Tuesday to honor the victims of the crash, according to the BBC.
The incident comes just one month after an Air India jet en route to London’s Gatwick Airport crashed into a medical college hostel in the city of Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 people on board and a further 19 on the ground.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.