logo
Bangladesh: 19 killed, 164 injured as Air Force jet crashes into college in Dhaka

Bangladesh: 19 killed, 164 injured as Air Force jet crashes into college in Dhaka

Scroll.in7 days ago
At least 19 people were killed and 164 others were injured on Monday after a Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into a school and college campus in Dhaka, Reuters reported.
The F-7 BGI jet took off from the Kurmitola airbase at 1.06 pm local time as part of a routine training mission, but encountered a technical failure minutes later, military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury was quoted as saying by the agency.
The crash occurred at Milestone School and College in Dhaka's northern Uttara area.
'The pilot… made a valiant attempt to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas,' Reuters quoted Chowdhury as saying. 'Despite his best efforts, the aircraft ... crashed into a two-storey building belonging to Milestone School and College.'
The pilot of the aircraft was among those who died.
The military has formed a committee to investigate the crash.
Footage from the scene showed a large fire breaking out near a lawn, with thick smoke billowing into the sky. Following the crash, members of the Bangladesh Army and eight units of the Fire Service and Civil Defence rushed to the site and began rescue operations, The Daily Star reported.
A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into a school campus in Dhaka on Monday, killing at least 18 people and injuring 164, according to the military. pic.twitter.com/PTrXhncWpp
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 21, 2025
The F-7 BGI is the most advanced variant of China's Chengdu J-7, which is a licensed version of the Soviet MiG-21. Bangladesh acquired 16 of these aircraft under a contract signed in 2011, with deliveries completed by 2013, Reuters reported.
Muhammad Yunus, the head of the country's interim government, expressed condolences to the kin of those who died, and called the crash ' a moment of deep pain for the nation'.
He promised a full investigation into the accident and added that the government will 'ensure all kinds of assistance'.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

3 killed, others injured after 2 coaches of passenger train derail in Germany
3 killed, others injured after 2 coaches of passenger train derail in Germany

Hindustan Times

time6 hours ago

  • Hindustan Times

3 killed, others injured after 2 coaches of passenger train derail in Germany

At least three people have died and several others have been injured after a regional passenger train derailed in southern Germany on Sunday, according to police. Emergency personnel work at the site where a local train derailed causing the death of several passengers, in Riedlingen near Biberach, Germany, July 27, 2025. (REUTERS) The accident happened on Sunday evening at around 6.10 pm (local time) on Sunday near the town of Riedlingen in Baden-Wuerttemberg state with as many as 100 passengers onboard the train, reported news agency AFP. The number of passengers who have been injured is not yet confirmed. According to Germany rail operator Deutsche Bahn, two carriages of the train derailed for reasons not yet known. The authorities are probing the incident. 'Near #Riedlingen, a regional train traveling from Sigmaringen to Ulm derailed today for unknown reasons. The exact situation is still unclear at this time. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the victims and everyone who now has to process this experience. More information will follow,' it wrote in a post on X. Landslide could have caused accident The local media reported that the area was hit by a severe storm previously. The authorities are probing whether the extreme weather conditions caused a landslide which could have caused the accident. "There was heavy rainfall here, so it cannot be ruled out that the heavy rain and the associated landslide were also the cause," German news outlet Bild quoted Baden-Württemberg's Interior Minister Thomas Strobl as saying. The train was going from Sigmaringen town to the city of Ulm in Germany when two of its coaches derailed in the middle of a forest. Visuals from the spot show yellow and grey coloured derailed coaches of the train turned to their sides as emergency personnel and rescuers climbed atop them. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz mourned the deaths of the victims of the accident and expressed condolences to their families. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote in German, 'The train accident in the Biberach district shocks me. I am in close contact with the Interior Minister and the Transport Minister and have asked them to support the rescue forces with all available means. We mourn the victims. I express my condolences to their relatives.' With AFP inputs.

Retirement of MiG fighter jets, concerns grow over delayed Tejas induction, shrinking combat strength
Retirement of MiG fighter jets, concerns grow over delayed Tejas induction, shrinking combat strength

New Indian Express

time13 hours ago

  • New Indian Express

Retirement of MiG fighter jets, concerns grow over delayed Tejas induction, shrinking combat strength

NEW DELHI: While preparations are underway to bid adieu to the last squadron of MiG aircraft on 19 September at Chandigarh this year, anxieties persist regarding the falling number of combat squadrons and, more significantly, the slow pace of production of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) intended to replace these longest-serving fighter jets. The jets of the Number 23 Squadron, MiG-21, will be flying for the last time. Inducted into the IAF in 1963, the MiG-21 was initially acquired for the role of a high-altitude interceptor. It was later retasked for ground attack. The USSR had designed it to counter aircraft such as the American U-2 spy plane. The first induction of the Russian-origin single-engine MiG-21 fighters took place in 1963, with different versions joining the IAF subsequently. As of now, the IAF continues to operate one squadron of the MiG-21 Bison at Suratgarh. A squadron in the IAF comprises 16–18 aircraft. However, an element of anxiety persists within the combat fraternity of the Air Force: following the retirement of the 23 Squadron, the IAF's combat squadron strength will fall to its lowest ever—29 squadrons—against the sanctioned strength of 42. 'It is a logical move as there is a shift in aerial combat—from close combat to acquisition and attack with missiles, which initially ranged a few kilometres but now exceed 100 kms,' said a fighter pilot, adding, 'The war now includes electronic warfare and has progressed to an informatised format.' The move was long due and aligns with existing plans, as the aircraft has long lived its age. 'The Pakistan Air Force, which inducted the F-104 long back, no longer operates that aircraft,' said a source. The concern, however, is not the retirement of the MiGs itself; it is the absence of a clear and timely replacement. 'The delays in induction of indigenously manufactured Light Combat Aircraft Tejas,' said the source. Overall, the Indian Air Force operated 24 fighter squadrons and four training units of MiG-21s. The IAF flew over 850 MiG-21s over six decades—a scale unmatched by most air forces. The aircraft, often nicknamed the 'Flying Coffin', saw approximately 300 losses in accidents. Interestingly, the birth of Tejas is closely linked with the MiG's phase-out. It is due to delays in the LCA project that the IAF took time in retiring the MiG-21s and replacing them with the indigenously developed Tejas, the source explained. The LCA was conceived in the late 1980s to replace the MiG-21s. After decades of delays due to production issues, the IAF now possesses 40 of the initial lot of Tejas aircraft. Last year, the IAF signed a ₹48,000-crore deal for 83 Tejas Mk1A fighters. As The New Indian Express reported earlier, the IAF is keen to induct close to 100 LCA Tejas Mk-1A fighters. Once this order is fulfilled over the stipulated 15 years, the IAF will have 40 LCA, over 180 LCA Mk-1A, and at least 120 LCA Mk-2 aircraft. The first Tejas aircraft flew in 2001—17 years after the programme was initiated. The actual induction started 15 years later, in 2016. The first indigenous LCA was inducted in July 2016. The first IAF squadron to receive the Tejas was No. 45 Squadron, the 'Flying Daggers', which was earlier a MiG-21 Bis squadron. Tejas Mk1A is the newer and improved version of India's single-engine, 4.5-generation delta wing multirole combat aircraft, designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency. The delays in Tejas deliveries have caused anxiety, culminating in a 'no confidence' remark from the IAF Chief in February. The delay in the delivery of Tejas fighter aircraft by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) led to the comment by Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh. While inspecting an aircraft at Aero India 2025, Singh was heard telling HAL officials, 'I can only tell you what our requirements and our worries are... At the moment, I am just not confident of HAL, which is a very wrong thing to happen.' The video was captured and posted by the defence news channel NationalDefence. However, HAL officials have expressed confidence in delivering 12 Tejas fighters in this financial year. The Air Chief highlighted that the force has yet to receive all 40 Tejas Mk1 jets ordered in 2010. The Indian Air Force currently operates only 36 Tejas Mk1 jets, with four deliveries still pending. Since the 1960s, MiGs have touched the lives of every IAF pilot, directly or indirectly. As September approaches, the feeling of melancholy among them is only natural.

Final minutes of Jeju Air flight before South Korea's deadliest air disaster
Final minutes of Jeju Air flight before South Korea's deadliest air disaster

Economic Times

time19 hours ago

  • Economic Times

Final minutes of Jeju Air flight before South Korea's deadliest air disaster

Reuters People work at the site where a Jeju Air flight went off the runway and crashed at Muan International Airport, in Muan, South Korea (File Photo) South Korea is investigating the crash of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 jet on December 29 at Muan International Airport that killed 179 people, in the deadliest air disaster on the country's soil. The following are the final minutes of Flight 7C2216 gathered from a preliminary investigation report in January, South Korea's transport ministry and fire authorities, and a July 19 update from investigators seen by Reuters. All times are Korea Standard Time (GMT+9). 8:54:43 a.m. - Jeju Air 7C2216 contacts Muan airport air traffic control as it makes the final approach and is given clearance to land on runway 01, which is orientated at 10 degrees north-east. 8:57:50 a.m. - Air traffic control gives "caution - bird activity" advisory. 8:58:11 a.m. - Jeju Air pilots are heard talking about spotting a flock of birds under the aircraft. 8:58:26 a.m. - The aircraft aborts the landing attempt and then strikes birds while starting to circle back for another landing attempt known as a go-around. Both engines continued to operate with vibrations. The right engine also experienced a surge, emitting large flames and thick black smoke. 8:58:45 a.m. - Pilots stop the left engine while performing emergency procedures. The July 19 update said the evidence for this came from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), flight data recorder (FDR) and inspection of the engines. 8:58:50 a.m. - The aircraft's FDR and CVR stop recording. At the moment both "black boxes" stop recording, the aircraft is flying at the speed of 161 knots (298 kph or 185 mph) at an altitude of 498 ft (152 m). 8:58:56 a.m. - Flight 7C2216 pilot makes emergency Mayday declaration related to a bird strike during the go-around. 9:00 a.m. - During the go-around, Flight 7C2216 requests clearance to land on runway 19, which is by approach from the opposite end of the airport's single runway. 9:01 a.m. - Air traffic control authorises landing on runway 19. 9:02 a.m. - Flight 7C2216 makes contact with runway at about the 1,200 m (3,937 ft) point of the 2,800 m (9,186 ft) runway. Landing gear was not lowered and the plane lands on its belly. 9:02:34 a.m. - Air traffic control alerts "crash bell" at airport fire rescue unit. 9:02:55 a.m. - Airport fire rescue unit completes deploying fire rescue equipment. 9:02:57 a.m. - Flight 7C2216 crashes into embankment after over-shooting the runway. 9:10 a.m. - The Transport Ministry receives an accident report from airport authorities. 9:23 a.m. - One male rescued and transported to a temporary medical facility. 9:38 a.m. - Muan Airport is closed. 9:50 a.m. - Rescue completed of a second person from inside tail section of the plane. (Reporting by Jihoon Lee, Hyunjoo Jin, Ju-min Park, Hyonhee Shin and Lisa Barrington; Writing by Jack Kim; Editing by Stephen Coates and Jamie Freed)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store