In Dhaka, Bangladesh, a tragic accident occurred on Monday when a Bangladesh Air Force training plane crashed into a school, resulting in the deaths of at least 19 individuals, including the pilot, and injuring over 100 people, as reported by officials.
The F-7 BGI aircraft, which was manufactured in China, crashed shortly after takeoff onto the grounds of Milestone School and College, located in the Uttara area of Dhaka. The incident happened while classes were in session.
The Fire Service and Civil Defense confirmed that 19 people, mostly students, were killed in the crash, and an additional 116 were injured. Many of those injured suffered from burn-related injuries.
The government announced a national day of mourning on Tuesday, with flags to fly at half-staff across the country.
The military said the jet took off from Bangladesh Air Force Base A.K. Khandaker in Dhaka’s Kurmitola neighborhood at 1:06 p.m. local time and crashed soon after, catching fire immediately. It said the aircraft “experienced a technical malfunction,” but that a high-level committee within the Air Force would conduct an investigation to determine the cause.
Flight Lieutenant Md. Toukir Islam, made “every effort to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas toward a more sparsely inhabited location,” the military said. “Unfortunately, the aircraft crashed into a two-story building” within the school.
It is the deadliest airplane crash in the Bangladeshi capital in recent memory.
Local media indicated most of the injured were students. Relatives panicked at the scene as rescuers, using tricycle rickshaws or whatever was available, transported the injured to local hospitals.
A desperate scene unfolded as the crash occurred.
Local residents and rescuers carried wounded students on their laps, while worried parents ran frantically. One father sprinted with his daughter cradled in his arms. A mother cried out, having found her younger child, but desperately searching for her elder.
Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus pledged an investigation into the crash, expressing his deep sorrow over the “heartbreaking accident” at Milestone School and College.
In a statement, he lamented the “irreparable” loss suffered by “Air Force personnel, students, parents, teachers, staff, and others,” calling it “a moment of deep national grief.”
Rafiqa Taha, a student who was not present at the time of the crash, told The Associated Press by phone that the school, with some 2,000 students, offers classes from elementary to twelfth grade.
“I was terrified watching videos on TV,” the 16-year-old said. “My God! It’s my school.”
