Air Force training jet crashes into school, killing at least 19

DHAKA (AP):

A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into a school campus in the capital, Dhaka, shortly after takeoff on Monday, killing at least 19 people including the pilot and injuring more than 100, officials said.

According to the military and a fire official, the Chinese-made F-7 BGI aircraft crashed into the campus of Milestone School and College, in the Uttara neighbourhood, in the afternoon as students were attending classes.

The Fire Service and Civil Defense said that at least 19 people, mostly students, died and another 116 were rescued with injuries. A significant number sustained burn 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 neighbourhood 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.

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. Students said the school’s buildings trembled violently followed by a big explosion, sending them running for safety.

Doctors at Uttara Adhunik Hospital reported that more than 60 students, many age 12-16, were transferred to a specialised burn hospital after arriving with burn injuries.

At the crash scene, soldiers used megaphones to control the crowd, complicated by the area’s dense population, a nearby metro station and numerous surrounding shops and homes.

By Monday evening, rescuers continued to scour the debris, searching for bodies.

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.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed shock and sadness over the “tragic air crash in Dhaka” that resulted in the loss of many lives, including young students.

“Our hearts go out to the bereaved families,” Modi said in a post on X. “India stands in solidarity with Bangladesh and is ready to extend all possible support and assistance.”

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 12th grade.

“I was terrified watching videos on TV,” the 16-year-old said. “My God! It’s my school.”