Bangladesh mourns 27 dead in school jet crash tragedy
'So far, 27 people have died. Among them, 25 are children and one is a pilot,' said Sayedur Rahman from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The earlier toll of 20 was revised as more victims were identified. 'Seventy-eight people are being treated in different hospitals,' Rahman added.
The military confirmed over 170 injuries and is investigating the cause. The school, usually filled with noise, stood silent on Tuesday with classes suspended. 'Along with the children, the school has lost its life,' said teacher Shahadat Hossain, whose son narrowly escaped.
'There are two swings in front of the affected building. During lunch breaks and after school, children play there. Even yesterday, around the time the plane crashed, students were on those swings,' Hossain told AFP.
Among the 7,000 enrolled students was Abul Bashar's sixth-grade son, who lost his best friend. 'He came out just two or three minutes before the accident occurred,' Bashar said. 'He couldn't sleep through the night and forced me to bring him to school this morning.'
Authorities collected scattered belongings—bags, shoes, and ID cards—from the site. Senior police officer Pahn Chakma said armed forces were still securing the area before evidence collection begins. Air Force personnel removed jet wreckage overnight but continue searching for clues.
School staff held prayers on campus Monday night as the nation reeled. Interim leader Muhammad Yunus declared a day of mourning, calling the loss 'irreparable.' The military stated the pilot, flight lieutenant Towkir Islam, faced mechanical failure during training and attempted to steer clear of populated areas before crashing. - AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Osprey makes emergency landing in Iwate
A US Osprey military aircraft made an emergency landing in northern Japan, the latest in a string of mishaps and accidents involving the controversial tilt-rotor plane. The pilot contacted Hanamaki Airport in Iwate prefecture, saying that they wanted to land due to a technical glitch. It landed without incident and the crew did not request emergency medical assistance. Officials from US Forces Japan could not be reached for immediate comment but a Hanamaki airport official said the incident did not impact the operation of the airport. Ospreys can take off and land vertically like a helicopter and rotate their propellers forward to fly like a plane. The aircraft has been involved in accidents and several deadly crashes, including one off southern Japan in 2023 when all eight people on board were killed. The fatal crash prompted the US military to ground the aircraft worldwide. Regional Japanese military personnel were heading to Hanamaki to study the latest incident. — AFP
Malaysian Reserve
13 hours ago
- Malaysian Reserve
Plane carrying nearly 50 crashes in Russia's far east
MOSCOW – A passenger plane carrying nearly 50 people crashed in a remote spot in Russia's far eastern region of Amur on Thursday, with no immediate signs of survivors, authorities said. The aircraft, a twin-propeller Antonov-24 operated by Angara Airlines, was headed to the town of Tynda from the city of Blagoveshchensk when it disappeared from radar at around 1:00 pm local time (0400 GMT). A rescue helicopter later spotted the burning fuselage of the plane on a forested mountain slope about 16 kilometres (10 miles) from Tynda. Videos published by Russian investigators showed what appeared to be columns of smoke billowing from the wreckage of the plane in a dense, forested area. Rescuers in the helicopter saw no evidence of survivors, local rescuers said, as the Amur region's civil defence agency said it was dispatching a ground team to the scene. 'At the moment, 25 people and five units of equipment have been dispatched, and four aircraft with crews are on standby,' it said. The forest terrain has made getting to the site difficult, a rescuer told the state TASS news agency. 'The main search operations are being conducted from the air,' they said. Angara Airlines, a small regional carrier based in the Russian city of Irkutsk, made no immediate public comment. The plane was carrying 43 passengers and six crew members on board, according to the region's governor Vassily Orlov. Among the passengers were five children, he said. Russia's state TASS news agency, citing emergency services, said the plane was carrying 40 passengers and six crew. The plane crashed while attempting a second approach to Tynda airport, Russia's Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office said. 'While approaching Tynda Airport, the aircraft went around for a second landing, after which contact was lost,' it said. 'The circumstances are being investigated,' it said. It did not make any immediate comment on what caused the crash. The state TASS news agency reported that the plane was manufactured almost 50 years ago. 'In 2021, the aircraft's airworthiness certificate was extended until 2036,' it reported, citing a source in aviation services. AFP was not able to immediately verify this information. The Antonov-24 is a popular, Soviet-designed twin-propeller plane that first entered into service in 1959. Russia has taken steps to switch from Soviet aircraft to modern jets in recent years, but ageing light aircraft are still widely used in far-flung regions, with accidents frequent. –AFP
The Sun
18 hours ago
- The Sun
Russian passenger plane crashes in far east, 50 feared dead
MOSCOW: A Soviet-era Antonov An-24 passenger plane carrying nearly 50 people crashed in Russia's far east on Thursday, with initial reports indicating no survivors. Emergency services confirmed the aircraft, operated by Siberia-based Angara Airlines, was found burning in a forested area near Tynda. The plane, built in 1976, was en route from Blagoveshchensk to Tynda when it disappeared from radar. Regional governor Vasily Orlov stated there were 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members on board. However, the emergencies ministry reported a slightly lower figure of around 40. Debris was located approximately 15 km from Tynda, a remote town near the Chinese border. Yuliya Petina, an emergency services official, said a Mi-8 helicopter spotted the burning fuselage. 'Rescuers continue to make their way to the scene of the accident,' she wrote on Telegram. Authorities have launched an investigation into the crash. Unverified footage from a helicopter, circulating on social media, showed the wreckage in a densely wooded area. – Reuters
