Bangladesh Air Force jet crash: death toll rises to 27, over 170 injured — here's what we know so far
The jet experienced a technical problem shortly after take-off, resulting in the accident at Milestone School and College in the northern Uttara area, a military spokesperson said. The military said in a statement that the F-7 BGI training aircraft had taken off at 1:06 p.m. local time (0706 GMT) before crashing.
Detailing the crash on Monday, Lieutenant Colonel Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury said: 'The pilot…made a valiant attempt to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas. Despite his best efforts, the aircraft…crashed into a two-storey building belonging to Milestone School and College,' Reuters reported.
📌A Chinese variant of the fighter jet F-7 BGI crashed into the campus of Milestone School and College in the Uttara locality of Dhaka. The jet took off around 1:07pm (local time) on Monday from the Bangladesh Air Force base in Kurmitola, Dhaka for a routine training mission but faced a mechanical failure.
📌The jet, which has been described as a training aircraft by the officials, caught fire soon after crashing in the school campus in Dhaka. As per a fire official, the pilot was among the dead. And according to the special assistant to the chief advisor for health, the death toll in the crash has gone up to 27, while 171 people, mostly students, have been injured.
📌Bangladesh military has said that the pilot tried to avoid densely populated areas after the F-7 jet faced technical difficulties but the training aircraft hit a two-storey school building. The military added that the aircraft experienced a 'technical malfunction' and the crash will be investigated by a high-level Air Force committee.
📌The crash took place on the campus of Milestone school which has reportedly 2,000 students enrolled. The school describes itself as having over two decades of experience in leading private educational institutes. The Uttara neighborhood, where the crash happened, is a metropolitan region with over 20 million people.
📌The interim Bangladesh government has announced a national day of mourning on Tuesday, with flags to fly at half-staff throughout the country. Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus promised a full investigation into the crash. 'Necessary measures will be taken to investigate the cause of the accident and ensure all kinds of assistance,' he said, as quoted by Reuters.
📌Prime Minister Narendra Modi also responded to the tragic plane crash in Dhaka by expressing his condolences on social media. 'Deeply shocked and saddened at the loss of lives, many of them young students, in a tragic air crash in Dhaka,' PM Modi said in a post on X. 'Our hearts go out to the bereaved families. We pray for the swift recovery of those injured.'
(with inputs from AP)
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