At least nineteen (19) people have been killed and 164 sustained various degree of injury after a Bangladeshi air force training jet crashed into a school campus in Dhaka, the country’s Capital.
Video from Milestone School and College in the northern suburb of Uttara shows an enormous fire and thick smoke, after the aircraft crashed into a two-storey building.
Via a statement on Facebook, the Armed Forces said, the F-7 jet suffered a mechanical fault after taking off for a training exercise just after 13:00 local time (07:06 GMT). The pilot was among those that died, the air force added.
A doctor at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery disclosed, over fifty (50) people, encompassing children and adults, were taken to hospital with burns.
The range of age for students that attend the school is between four (4) and eighteen (18) years old.
Masud Tarik, a teacher, told Reuters that he heard an explosion: “When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke… There were many guardians and kids here.”
Flight Lieutenant Md. Taukir Islam, the pilot, had tried to steer the aircraft to a less populated area after the mechanical fault occurred, the armed forces statement said. He had only just taken off from an air force base in the Dhaka.
The statement added, the injured have been moved to nearby hospitals, while emergency teams are continuing rescue works at the scene. An investigation committee has been formed to ascertain the cause of the incident.
The leader of Bangladesh’s interim government, Muhammad Yunus, said “necessary measures” would be taken to investigate the cause of the incident, as well as, “ensure all kinds of assistance”.
Yunus posted on X: “This is a moment of deep sorrow for the nation. I wish the injured a speedy recovery and instruct all authorities, including the hospitals concerned, to deal with the situation with utmost importance.”
