At least 20 people have been killed and nearly 200 injured after a Bangladeshi air force fighter jet crashed into a school in Dhaka on Monday. The Chinese-made F-7BGI aircraft was on a routine training exercise when it experienced a mechanical failure shortly after takeoff, according to the Bangladeshi air force.
The jet struck the private Milestone school in the Uttara neighbourhood, a densely populated area of the capital. Witnesses reported that the plane hit a five-storey academic building before crashing onto a two-storey structure, triggering a massive explosion and fire. Many of the victims were children, as students were either ending or had left afternoon classes.
Ahmed, a secondary-age student at the school, described the scene: 'I was eating at the school canteen when I suddenly heard a deafening noise. I saw the plane hit the building and then fall on to a smaller structure. It caught fire instantly. People were screaming and running. Flames engulfed many of the younger students.'
Teacher Mizanur Rahman said the pilot appeared to have tried to steer the plane away from crowded areas. 'Judging by the trajectory, it looked like the pilot was trying to reach the field behind the buildings – but probably didn't make it,' he said. The pilot, Flt Lt Md Towkir Islam, was confirmed among the dead.
Bangladesh's Inter-Services Public Relations stated that a high-level investigation committee has been formed to determine the exact cause of the crash. The interim government of Muhammad Yunus declared a day of national mourning on Tuesday, with the national flag flown at half-mast across government and educational establishments.
The incident is the worst aviation disaster in Bangladesh in decades. The previous deadliest crash occurred in 1984 when a plane flying from Chattogram to Dhaka killed all 49 on board.
