18 die, over 160 injured as air force jet crashes into school
A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into a school in Dhaka, the capital city, on Monday afternoon, resulting in the deaths of at least 18 people, including the pilot.
The crash, which occurred when the F-7 BGI aircraft took off at 1:06 p.m. and plummeted into Dhaka’s Milestone School and College in the Uttara neighborhood, resulted in at least 18 deaths and 164 injuries, with the jet bursting into flames on impact.
At the time of the crash, students were either sitting for examinations or attending regular classes. Local media reported that many of the injured were students.
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Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos as emergency responders and bystanders raced to evacuate the wounded, using tricycle rickshaws and every available means to rush victims to nearby hospitals.
Panic spread as families of students thronged the school premises, desperately seeking information about their loved ones as the scale of the tragedy became clear.
A student of the school, 16-year-old Rafiqa Taha, who was not on campus during the crash, told the Associated Press:
“I was terrified watching videos on TV. My God! It’s my school.”
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Milestone School and College reportedly has a student population of about 2,000, ranging from elementary to senior secondary levels.
Authorities have not yet released the identities of the victims, while the cause of the crash remains unknown. Investigations are currently underway to determine what led to the disaster.
This tragedy has been described as the deadliest aircraft accident in Dhaka in recent memory.
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