Bangladesh jet crash: What we know about the deadly crash into a Dhaka school
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At least 27 killed in Bangladesh fighter jet crash
Aircraft crashed soon after it took off from an airbase in the capital on a routine training mission. The military said the plane experienced a mechanical failure. A third-grade student was brought in dead, and three others, aged 12, 14 and 40, were admitted to the hospital. The jet, a F-7 BGI, is the final and most advanced variant in China’s Chengdu J-7/F-7 aircraft family. The government announced a day of mourning, with flags at half-mast and special prayers at all places of worship.
The aircraft crashed soon after it took off from an airbase in the capital on a routine training mission. The military said the plane experienced a mechanical failure.
Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser on health, told reporters 27 people had died and 88 were admitted to hospital with burn injuries after the crash.
The government announced a day of mourning, with flags at half-mast and special prayers at all places of worship.
The pilot was among those killed in the incident, the military said, adding a committee had been formed to investigate what happened.
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The jet, a F-7 BGI, is the final and most advanced variant in China’s Chengdu J-7/F-7 aircraft family, according to Jane’s Information Group.
Bangladesh signed a contract for 16 aircraft in 2011 and deliveries were completed by 2013.
The crash comes weeks after an Air India plane crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad in neighbouring India, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground in the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade.
Shahbul, father of a missing girl student, cries after a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into a school campus shortly after takeoff in Dhaka. Source: AAP / Mahmud Hossain Opu / AP Videos of the aftermath of the crash showed a big fire near a lawn emitting a thick plume of smoke into the sky as crowds watched from a distance.
Firefighters sprayed water on the mangled remains of the plane, which appeared to have rammed into the side of a building, damaging iron grills and creating a gaping hole in the structure, footage filmed by Reuters showed.
Bidhan Sarker, head of the burn unit at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, said: “A third-grade student was brought in dead, and three others, aged 12, 14 and 40, were admitted to the hospital.”
Images from the scene also showed people screaming and crying as others tried to comfort them.
“When I was picking [up] my kids and went to the gate, I realised something came from behind … I heard an explosion. When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke,” said Masud Tarik, a teacher at the school.
Bangladesh jet crash: What we know about the deadly crash into a Dhaka school
Bangladesh observes a day of mourning after F-7 jet crashes into a school. Many of the victims were students who had just come out of class. Air force said jet had suffered a mechanical fault after taking off for a training exercise. Pilot, Flight Lieutenant Md. Taukir Islam, was among those killed. More than 50 people were taken to hospital with burns, many in critical condition. The crash marks the deadliest aviation disaster the country has seen in decades, and while details are still emerging, here’s what we know about the crash so far. The training aircraft had taken off from a Bangladesh Air Force Base in Dhaka at around 13:00 local time (07:00 GMT) and crashed soon after in the Uttara neighbourhood. At least 170 people were injured with an on-duty doctor saying most of the injured were aged between 10 and 15 years old, many suffering from jet fuel burns. One man’s eight-year-old nephew was among the students who died in the crash.
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Getty Images Many of the victims were students who had just come out of class when a F-7 jet crashed into their school
Bangladesh is observing a day of mourning after at least 27 people were killed when a military jet crashed into a school. Many of the victims were students who had just come out of class when an F-7 jet crashed into the Milestone School and College in the capital Dhaka. The armed forces said that the jet had reportedly experienced a mechanical fault after taking off for a training exercise, with the pilot being among those killed, adding that an investigation would be held. The crash marks the deadliest aviation disaster the country has seen in decades, and while details are still emerging, here’s what we know about the crash so far.
How did the crash happen?
The training aircraft had taken off from a Bangladesh Air Force Base in Dhaka at around 13:00 local time (07:00 GMT) and crashed soon after in the Uttara neighbourhood. The air force said in a statement that the F-7 jet had suffered a mechanical fault and the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Md. Taukir Islam, had tried to steer it to a less crowded area. He was among those killed. A teacher at the college, Rezaul Islam, told BBC Bangla that he saw the plane “directly” hit the building. Another teacher, Masud Tarik, told Reuters that he heard an explosion: “When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke… There were many guardians and kids here.” Images from the scene in the hours after the crash showed scores of emergency service workers sorting through charred rubble in a bid to find survivors. An investigation committee has been formed to look into the incident, said the armed forces in a statement.
Getty Images The plane crashed into the Milestone School in Dhaka
Who are the victims?
Most of the victims were enrolled at the Milestone School and College, a private institution with around 2,000 students, from pre-school to senior secondary levels. At least 17 of the deceased are children, the health ministry said on Monday. Year 10 student Farhan Hasan told BBC Bangla he had just left the building after finishing an exam when he saw the plane crash into the building. “My best friend, the one I was in the exam hall with, he died right in front of my eyes,” he said. “And many parents were standing inside because the younger kids were coming out since it was the end of the school day… the plane took the parents along with it.” One man’s eight-year-old nephew was among the students who died in the crash. “My beloved nephew is in the morgue right now,” he said, his hand resting on the arm of his younger brother, the boy’s father, who kept repeating: “Where is my son?” A teacher told the Dhaka Tribune that classes for grades five to seven were being held in the building where the plane crashed. “Although classes ended around 13:00, many students were waiting for private coaching,” the teacher said. At least 170 people were injured with an on-duty doctor at the Uttara Adhunik Medical College Hospital saying most of the injured were aged between 10 and 15 years old, many suffering from jet fuel burns. More than 50 people were taken to hospital with burns, many in critical condition, said a doctor at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
Getty Images More than 50 people were taken to hospital with burns
How common are air crashes like these?
Plane crashes are relatively rare in Bangladesh. The last time it saw a major plane disaster was in 1984, when all 49 people aboard a Biman flight – Bangladesh’s national flag carrier – died after the plane crashed into a marsh while landing near the airport in Dhaka. In 2018, a US-Bangla Airlines flight crashed while trying to land at an airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, killing 51 people. In 2008, another F-7 training jet crashed outside Dhaka, killing the pilot.
Getty Images The F-7 BGI training jet reportedly experienced a technical problem shortly after taking off
What happens now?
The city is still reeling from the mass casualty event, and medical efforts are underway. The National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery was on Monday swarmed by family members trying to find their loved ones, as well as volunteers who queued up to donate blood to the injured. A number of politicians were also seen visiting victims at the hospital.
Getty Images Family members swarmed hospitals trying to find out news of their loved ones
Bangladesh Air Force jet crash: death toll rises to 27, over 170 injured — here’s what we know so far
Bangladesh Air Force jet crashed into a private school campus in the country’s capital on Monday afternoon. The death toll stood at 27, while over 170 others are said to be injured, as per news agency AP. The jet experienced a technical problem shortly after take-off, resulting in the accident at Milestone School and College in the northern Uttara area. The military said in a statement that the F-7 BGI training aircraft had taken off at 1:06 p.m. local time (0706 GMT) before crashing. The interim Bangladesh government has announced a national day of mourning on Tuesday, with flags to fly at half-staff throughout the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also responded to the tragic plane crash in Dhaka by expressing his condolences on social media.
The jet experienced a technical problem shortly after take-off, resulting in the accident at Milestone School and College in the northern Uttara area, a military spokesperson said. The military said in a statement that the F-7 BGI training aircraft had taken off at 1:06 p.m. local time (0706 GMT) before crashing.
Bangladesh Air Force Plane Crash: The Chief Adviser’s Press Wing announced a one-day state mourning for Tuesday in light of the incident. (AP Photo) Bangladesh Air Force Plane Crash: The Chief Adviser’s Press Wing announced a one-day state mourning for Tuesday in light of the incident. (AP Photo)
Detailing the crash on Monday, Lieutenant Colonel Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury said: “The pilot…made a valiant attempt to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas. Despite his best efforts, the aircraft…crashed into a two-storey building belonging to Milestone School and College,” Reuters reported.
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What we know so far:
📌A Chinese variant of the fighter jet F-7 BGI crashed into the campus of Milestone School and College in the Uttara locality of Dhaka. The jet took off around 1:07pm (local time) on Monday from the Bangladesh Air Force base in Kurmitola, Dhaka for a routine training mission but faced a mechanical failure.
📌The jet, which has been described as a training aircraft by the officials, caught fire soon after crashing in the school campus in Dhaka. As per a fire official, the pilot was among the dead. And according to the special assistant to the chief advisor for health, the death toll in the crash has gone up to 27, while 171 people, mostly students, have been injured.
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📌Bangladesh military has said that the pilot tried to avoid densely populated areas after the F-7 jet faced technical difficulties but the training aircraft hit a two-storey school building. The military added that the aircraft experienced a “technical malfunction” and the crash will be investigated by a high-level Air Force committee.
📌The crash took place on the campus of Milestone school which has reportedly 2,000 students enrolled. The school describes itself as having over two decades of experience in leading private educational institutes. The Uttara neighborhood, where the crash happened, is a metropolitan region with over 20 million people.
📌The interim Bangladesh government has announced a national day of mourning on Tuesday, with flags to fly at half-staff throughout the country. Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus promised a full investigation into the crash. “Necessary measures will be taken to investigate the cause of the accident and ensure all kinds of assistance,” he said, as quoted by Reuters.
📌Prime Minister Narendra Modi also responded to the tragic plane crash in Dhaka by expressing his condolences on social media. “Deeply shocked and saddened at the loss of lives, many of them young students, in a tragic air crash in Dhaka,” PM Modi said in a post on X. “Our hearts go out to the bereaved families. We pray for the swift recovery of those injured.”
(with inputs from AP)
Bangladesh school jet crash death toll rises to 27
The F-7 BGI aircraft, a training fighter jet manufactured in China, experienced a “mechanical fault” moments after takeoff. It crashed into the two-storey building of Milestone School and College at Diabari in Dhaka’s Uttara area on Monday. About 170 were injured, with several of them said to be critical.
The F-7 BGI aircraft, a training fighter jet manufactured in China, experienced a “mechanical fault” moments after takeoff and crashed into the two-storey building of Milestone School and College at Diabari in Dhaka’s Uttara area on Monday.
“The toll is now 27, and 25 of them are children,” Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus’s special adviser, Saidur Rahman, told reporters.
About 170 were injured, with several of them said to be critical.
Wails of despair and pain reverberate at hospitals where patients were treated with burn injuries.
Twenty deaths were reported initially, and seven died of their injuries overnight. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Mohammad Towkir Islam, was among those killed in the crash.
The government has declared a state day of mourning for Tuesday in memory of those affected by the crash.
A statement from the Chief Advisor’s Office on Monday announced that the national flag will be flown at half-mast at all government, semi-government, autonomous institutions and educational institutions across the country.
Special prayers will be organised at all places of religious worship in the country for the injured and the dead.
A high-level investigation committee has been formed by the Bangladesh Air Force to determine the cause of the accident. PTI
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)
’27 Killed, Pilot Tried To Divert Jet Away From Densely Populated Areas’: What We Know So Far About Bangladesh Air Force Jet Crash
The F-7 BGI jet, a variant of a Chinese fighter, crashed into the campus of the Milestone School and College in the Uttara neighbourhood of Dhaka. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam, was on a routine training mission when the jet “encountered a mechanical failure” The military said the pilot tried to avoid densely populated areas, but the jet hit a two-story building. It is the deadliest aeroplane crash in the Bangladeshi capital in recent memory. In 2008, another F- 7 air force training jet crashed outside Dhaka, killing its pilot, who had ejected after he discovered a technical problem. More than 170 other people have been injured.
While details are still emerging, here’s what is known so far: What cause Bangladesh Air Force Jet crash The F-7 BGI jet, a variant of a Chinese fighter, crashed into the campus of the Milestone School and College in the Uttara neighbourhood of Dhaka. The pilot was among the dead, according to the military and a fire official. More than 170 other people have been injured.
Officials described the plane as a training aircraft. The military said the jet took off from Bangladesh Air Force Base A K Khandaker in Dhaka’s Kurmitola neighbourhood at 1:06 pm local time and crashed soon after, catching fire immediately. The ISPR said the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam, was on a routine training mission when the jet “encountered a mechanical failure”. The military said the pilot tried to avoid densely populated areas, but the jet hit a two-story building. It said the aircraft experienced a “technical malfunction,” adding that a high-level Air Force committee will investigate the cause.
It was Towkir’s first solo flight. He reportedly completed his first 100 hours of flight training during his cadet years in PT-6 aircraft. The ill-fated school The crash happened on the campus of Milestone, a school with some 2,000 students. It describes itself as having more than two decades of experience as a leading private educational institution. Rafiqa Taha, a student who was not present at the time of the crash, told The Associated Press by phone that the school offers classes from elementary to twelfth grade.
The school says it has a focus on extracurricular activities, career counselling and “global opportunities.” The Uttara neighbourhood is in northern Dhaka, a metropolitan area of more than 20 million people. 25 suffers critical burn injuries Details are still emerging. Local media reports said many of the more than 170 injured were students who were on campus for afternoon classes. “More than 25 patients are very critical” Dr Mohammad Nasir Uddin, Director of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, shared a detailed update on the condition of the victims and the hospital’s ongoing response efforts. “After the plane crash, most of the patients actually came directly to the institution. Also, some of the other hospitals took some of the patients, but most of the patients actually came here and started arriving just half an hour after the incident,” Dr Uddin stated.
He confirmed that the hospital initially received 21 patients, but that number has since risen. “So far, we primarily received 21 patients, but at present, we have 44 patients admitted in different units of our hospital. Some patients have been transferred to Dhaka Medical College and one alsoto CMAs.Actually, the CMAs patients were taken on their own accord because they have some connection with the CMAs, but all other patients are admitted here.”