Bangladesh plane crash: What we know, what's the latest

Al Jazeera

21-07-2025

A Bangladesh air force training jet has crashed into a school campus, killing at least 19 people.
Here's the latest we know:
What happened during the Bangladesh plane crash?
'Bangladesh Air Force's F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed in Uttara. The aircraft took off at 13:06 [07:06 GMT],' the Bangladesh military's public relations team said.
Local media reported that the plane crashed at about 1:30pm.
Videos emerged of the aftermath of the crash, showing a fire, as well as plumes of thick smoke rising into the sky as people watched from a distance.
The crash marks the deadliest aviation incident in Bangladesh since the 1984 crash of a plane travelling from Chattogram to Dhaka killed all 49 people on board.
Last month, an Air India passenger plane crashed into a medical college hostel in India's Ahmedabad city, killing 241 of the 242 people on board as well as 19 people on the ground. This incident marked the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade.
Where did the plane crash?
The plane crashed into the campus of Milestone School and College, a private school in the northern Dhaka neighbourhood of Uttara.
Footage shared online after the crash showed the point where the aircraft had crashed into the side of a building, leaving a gaping hole.
At the time of the crash, students were taking tests or attending regular classes.
How big is this school?
According to the information available on the school's website, there are 6,000 enrolled students at Milestones.
What kind of plane was it?
The F-7 BGI is a light, 'multi-role' fighter aircraft manufactured by the Chinese Chengdu Corporation.
Multi-role fighter aircraft are built to perform several 'roles' in combat, including air-to-air combat, aerial bombing, reconnaissance, and suppression of air defences.
The BGI was billed as the most advanced F-7 when Bangladesh bought 36 of them in 2022.
It had been upgraded according to Bangladesh's specifications.
What do we know about the victims?
At least 19 people have died and more than 100 have been injured, based on data from multiple hospitals.
Authorities have not released details about those who have died or are injured.
'A third-grade student was brought in dead, and three others, aged 12, 14 and 40, were admitted to the hospital,' Bidhan Sarker, head of the burn unit at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, told the Reuters news agency.
What do the rescue efforts look like?
More than 50 people, including children, were admitted to the hospital with burn injuries following the crash, a doctor at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery told reporters.
An emergency hotline has been set up at the institute, Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh's interim government, wrote in a post on X.
Local media reported that several of the injured were transported to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) through air force helicopters.
The army, air force, police and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), a paramilitary border security force, are working together on rescue efforts, local media reported.
Eight units of the fire service are working to contain the fire, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
What is the latest situation on the ground?
Yunus said the government is taking all 'necessary measures' in the aftermath of the crash.
He posted on his X account that the bodies of those who can be identified will be returned to their families as soon as possible.
Those whose identities cannot be immediately confirmed will undergo DNA testing, after which their remains will also be released to their families.
In another post, Yunus shared the emergency contacts of different rescue departments regarding missing school students.