A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into a school campus in northern Dhaka on Monday, killing at least 19 people, including its pilot, and injuring more than 100 others, officials and local media said. The jet crashed onto the campus of Milestone School and College in Dhaka's Uttara neighbourhood, where students were taking tests and attending regular classes. The Bangladesh Army's public relations office confirmed in a brief statement that the downed F-7 BGI aircraft belonged to the Air Force. Television footage showed fire and smoke billowing from the crash site. Parents and relatives panicked at the scene as rescuers, using tri-cycle rickshaws or whatever was available, transported the injured to hospitals. More than 50 people, including children and adults, were taken to hospital with burns, a doctor at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery told reporters. The death toll may still rise, with official sources giving different numbers on how many people have died and were injured. A teacher at the college, Rezaul Islam, told BBC Bangla that he saw the plane "directly" hit the building. Another teacher, Masud Tarik, told Reuters that he heard an explosion: "When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke... There were many guardians and kids here." A student said he saw the plane hit the building "right in front of my eyes". A statement from the military said: "Bangladesh Air Force's F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed in Uttara. The aircraft took off at 13:06 (0706 GMT)." The country's fire service said on social media it had nine units at the scene, along with six ambulances. Muhammad Yunus, the leader of Bangladesh's interim government, said "necessary measures" would be taken to investigate the cause of the incident and "ensure all kinds of assistance". "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," he said in a post on X. Rafiqa Taha, a student at the school who was not present at the time of the crash, told the AP by phone that Milestone School and College has around 2,000 students and offers classes from elementary to 12th grade. "I was terrified watching videos on TV," said the 16-year-old student. "My God! It's my school." — Agencies
