Videos from the aftermath of the crash showed a huge fire near a lawn and plumes of smoke billowing into the sky as crowds watched from a distance.
A Bangladeshi warplane tragically crashed into a school in Dhaka on Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 170. The incident was the country’s deadliest air crash in decades. The Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft hit the Milestone School and College just as many young students were leaving their classes.
An AFP photographer at the scene saw firefighters and rescue workers carrying injured students on stretchers, while army personnel helped clear the debris.
A doctor at the National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery told reporters that more than 50 people, including children and adults, were hospitalized with burns. Officials said the incident took place at Milestone School and College in Uttara, northern Dhaka.
“A Bangladesh Air Force F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed in Uttara. The aircraft took off at 1:06 pm (0706 GMT),” the army’s public relations department said.
Video footage from the aftermath of the crash showed a large fire near a lawn and thick smoke billowing into the sky, as crowds watched from a distance.
Firefighters were seen spraying water on the mangled wreckage of the aircraft, which had crashed into the side of a building, damaging the iron grille and creating a gap in the structure.
Tragic incident at Dhaka school
“A class three student tragically died and three others, aged 12, 14 and 40, have been admitted to hospital,” said Bidhan Sarkar, head of the burns unit at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, where the injured were taken.
The harrowing scenes were accompanied by scenes of people screaming and crying, while others offered comfort. Masud Tariq, a school teacher, described the terrifying moment: “When I was picking up my children and going to the gate, I felt something from behind… I heard an explosion. When I looked back, I saw only fire and smoke.”
The head of Bangladesh’s interim government, Muhammad Yunus, said that “necessary measures” would be taken to investigate the cause of the accident and that “all possible assistance will be provided”.
“The loss of the air force… students, parents, teachers and staff and others in this accident is irreparable,” he said.
Shafiur Rahman Shafi, an 18-year-old student, said he heard a huge explosion that felt like an earthquake.
“There were two fighter jets… suddenly one of the two planes crashed here (in the junior playground),” he said.
“It created an explosion, and it felt like an earthquake. Then the fire broke out and the army arrived at the scene later,” he said.
The well-known private school provides education to children from kindergarten to higher secondary.
Tragedy’s aftermath: Young victims and community support
Mohammad Maruf Islam, joint director of the National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka, said that most of the injured and those being treated at the institute were between the ages of eight and 14.
The hospital became the epicenter of the tragedy’s impact, with grieving relatives there to attend to the victims. In a show of social solidarity, dozens of volunteers also lined up, ready to donate blood to help the victims.
30-year-old Tofazzal Hossain broke down in tears after hearing the news of his younger cousin’s death.
“We searched frantically in various hospitals to find my cousin,” Hossain said.
“He was an eighth-grader at the school. Finally, we found his body.”
The military said the pilot was on a routine training mission when the plane “experienced a mechanical failure.”
“The exact cause is under investigation,” it said in a statement.
The military added that the pilot tried to steer the plane away from a densely populated area but “despite his best efforts” it crashed into a two-story school building.
Muhammad Yunus’s interim government declared Tuesday a national day of mourning.
Yunus expressed “deep shock and sorrow” over the incident in a post on X.
“The Air Force, the students, parents, teachers and staff of Milestone School and College, and all those affected by this accident have suffered irreparable losses,” he added. “This is a moment of deep sorrow for the entire nation,” he added. The incident marks the country’s worst air disaster in decades, second only to the 1984 crash in which a plane from Chittagong to Dhaka crashed, killing all 49 people on board.
Solidarity with Dhaka
The incident comes more than a month after an Air India plane crashed into a medical college hostel in the neighboring Indian city of Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground, the world’s worst air disaster in a decade. eply shocked and saddened at the loss of lives” in Dhaka.
Relations between the neighbours have been strained since protesters in Bangladesh last year ousted leader Sheikh Hasina, an old ally of New Delhi.
“India stands in solidarity with Bangladesh and is ready to extend all possible support and assistance,” Modi wrote on X.
