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South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Bangladesh jet crash: military aircraft accident kills 31, including 25 school children
A Bangladesh Air Force jet slammed into the Milestone School and College in the capital city Dhaka on Monday, killing at least 31 people - including 25 children, most very young. Some 165 were left injured, the armed forces public relations directorate (ISPR) said Tuesday. This is the country's deadliest air incident in recent memory. Here is a look at what happened. How did the crash occur? The fighter aircraft took off at 1:06 pm local time from the air force base in Dhaka's Kurmitola for a routine training mission. But it experienced a mechanical failure soon after. The pilot attempted to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas to minimise civilian casualties and damage, but his efforts were unsuccessful and the jet crashed into a building. Where did the plane go down? The two-storey building that the plane rammed into belonged to the Milestone School and College in Dhaka's Diabari area, located about 10km (6 miles) from the air force base. Visuals from the scene showed the aircraft's mangled remains dented into the side of the building, dismantling its iron grills and creating a gaping hole in the structure. Mohammed Russell shows a cellphone photo of his nephew, Md Ashikur Rahman Umair, who died when a military training jet crashed into an educational institution in Dhaka on July 23, 2025. Photo: AFP How many people were killed and injured? The bodies of at least 27 people, including 25 children, a teacher, and the jet's pilot, were pulled out from the debris on Monday. By Tuesday, the death toll had reached 31, including those who succumbed to injuries. More than 165 people were injured, with an on-duty doctor at Uttara Adhunik Medical College Hospital saying most were aged between 10 and 15 years old. Which aircraft was involved? The jet was an F-7 fighter aircraft - the final and most advanced variant in China's Chengdu J-7/F-7 aircraft family, according to Jane's Information Group. Bangladesh had signed a contract in 2011 for 16 such planes, and deliveries were completed by 2013. Bangladeshi students shout slogans and hold placards near the crash site. Photo: EPA How has the country reacted? The Bangladesh Air Force formed a high-level investigation committee to probe the cause of the accident. Flags flew at half mast across the country in a day of mourning for the victims on Tuesday. Hundreds of students gathered to demand answers. Witnesses were still visibly shaken by the horror they had seen the day before. Bangladesh's interim government leader Muhammad Yunus said on Monday that, 'I have no words. I don't know how to begin.' 'None of us ever imagined it. It wasn't within anyone's expectations. But we had to suddenly accept this unbelievable reality,' Yunus said in a video message. 'What answer can we give to their parents? What can we possibly say to them? We can't even answer ourselves,' he said. Additional reporting by CNN
Khaleej Times
23-07-2025
- Health
- Khaleej Times
Indian medical team to visit Dhaka to help burn victims from deadly jet crash
A medical team is likely to visit Dhaka shortly to support burn victims of the recent fighter jet crash in the Diabari area of Bangladesh's capital, Indian High Commission in Dhaka said on Wednesday. According to the Chief Adviser's Press Wing, the death toll in the crash incident has risen to 29 and the number of injured are 69. Most of the injured are student who are now admitted in various hospitals in capital Dhaka. Injured others were teachers, school staff, firefighters, police, army, maids, electricians, and others. Death toll may rise again, as among the injured, 25 patients have serious conditions with burn injury, a doctor said. Meanwhile in Dhaka, the authorities have continued to restrict access to National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery to maintain order and ensure uninterrupted medical care for the victims of the Uttara plane crash, reported the Daily Star. The measures have been taken to avoid unnecessary noise and crowds, according to the hospital officials. On July 21, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed condolences at the loss of lives in the tragic air crash in Dhaka and had conveyed assurances of support and assistance. "A team of burn-specialist Doctors and Nurses with necessary medical support are scheduled to visit Dhaka shortly to treat the victims", the Indian High Commission in Dhaka said in a Facebook post. "They will make an assessment of the condition of patients with recommendations for further treatment and specialised care in India as necessary," it added. "Additional medical teams may also follow depending on their preliminary assessment and treatment," Indian High Commission said. A Bangladesh Air Force F-7 fighter jet crashed into the Milestone School and College campus in Dhaka on Monday afternoon. The jet was being piloted by Bangladeshi Air Force Flight Lieutenant Mohammad Towkir Islam Sagar, who had also died in the crash.
Times of Oman
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
"Hands, feet of deceased had melted": Students recall horror after Bangladesh Air Force plane crashes into Dhaka school
Dhaka: At least 31 people were killed after a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into the premises of Milestone School and College in Dhaka on Monday, triggering widespread panic and outrage among students and residents in the densely populated area. Students from the school, located near the crash site, recounted scenes of devastation. Adol Hossain Seaim, a Class 11 student of Milestone School & College, said, "We are students of the main campus of Milestone School and College. When we received the news of the plane crash, we saw that the hands and feet of the deceased had melted away. Many of the bodies were burnt." Echoing similar concerns, eyewitness accounts also raised questions over the safety protocols and the condition of the aircraft. Sanjida Akter Smriti, another Class 11 student, questioned the official death toll and the rationale behind conducting training flights over populated areas. "I saw the mutilated bodies of 10-12 people. How can they say only 21 people died there? The plane was only 5 feet above this building. If it had fallen here, thousands of students would have died. Why would a training plane fly in such a densely populated area? Why is training being given with such an old plane acquired from China in 1966?" she questioned. In the aftermath of the crash, India has offered medical assistance to victims of the fighter jet incident in the Diabari area of Dhaka, further extending support as authorities assess the situation on the ground. Responding to the tragedy, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka issued a statement on Tuesday. "As follow up to the message from the Prime Minister of India, expressing condolence on the tragic Milestone School plane crash and offering all possible support & assistance, Indian High Commission has formally written to Government of Bangladesh asking for sharing information on any critical medical support that may be needed to be arranged in India for those injured in the tragic incident," the statement read. "The Indian High Commission will extend all necessary facilitation," it added. Meanwhile, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a clarification, stating that the aircraft involved in the crash was a battle-ready fighter jet conducting a training mission. Confirming the updated death toll, Saidur Rahman, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser, said on Tuesday morning, "The total number of deaths has risen to 27." In honour of the victims, Bangladesh is observing national mourning today, marking the scale of the tragedy that has gripped the capital. According to reports, the crash involved a Bangladesh Air Force F-7 fighter jet, which went down at the Milestone School and College campus in Dhaka on Monday afternoon. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Mohammad Towkir Islam Sagar of the Bangladesh Air Force, also lost his life in the incident, according to a report by the Daily Star. Expressing solidarity and sorrow, Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, conveyed his condolences to the affected families and institutions. In his condolence message on X, Yunus described the incident as an "irreparable" loss for the Bangladesh Air Force and others affected. "I express my deep grief and sorrow over the tragic incident of casualties caused by the crash of a Bangladesh Air Force F-7 BJI training aircraft at the Milestone School and College campus in the Diabari area of the capital today. The loss suffered by the Air Force, the students, parents, teachers, and staff of Milestone School and College, as well as others affected by this accident, is irreparable. This is a moment of profound pain for the nation," Yunus stated in the post. The Chief Adviser also offered prayers for the injured and called for urgent action by the authorities. "I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured and direct all concerned authorities, including hospitals, to address the situation with the utmost priority. The government will take necessary measures to investigate the cause of the accident and ensure all forms of assistance," the post added
Arab News
22-07-2025
- Arab News
Bangladesh in mourning after many schoolchildren killed in military jet crash
Dhaka: When Fatema Akter went to school in the morning, she was supposed to be back home in the early afternoon. She never returned, along with at least 28 other children who were killed when a Bangladeshi military jet crashed into their classroom in Dhaka. Bangladesh observed a day of national mourning on Tuesday, a day after the Air Force F-7 BGI aircraft went down during class hours at Milestone School and College in the capital's Diabari area. The jet struck the building, killing many of the children on the spot and causing fatal burn injuries to others, health authorities said, as at least 165 victims remained hospitalized. 'My niece, Fatema Akter, was a student of class three of that school. The school is actually five minutes walking from our home,' Leon Mir, a TV reporter who witnessed the crash that killed his sister's eldest daughter, told Arab News. 'I saw a huge smoke and the roads were blocked after the plane crashed on the school. Immediately, I rushed to the school ... somehow, I managed to enter. Seeing the situation on the ground, I was lost.' As he reached the site, he could not see Akter and started to search for her at emergency units of local hospitals. He eventually found her at the Combined Military Hospital in another part of the city. 'She died on the spot, and her body was transported to the CMH by helicopter. I first found her school ID card and later on recognized her face,' Mir said. Bangladeshi authorities have mobilized burn specialists and pediatricians from across the country to treat patients injured in the Dhaka disaster. Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the government on health, told reporters that 30 patients admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka remain in serious condition, and at least 10 are critical. Most are students. Rahman said that among the 31 people killed in the crash were the pilot and two teachers. One of them, Maherin Chowdhury, sustained 100 percent burns while rescuing at least 20 students from the burning primary school building. As bereaved families began to bury their children, at least five of them were from the families of Mir's neighbors. 'This morning, another one died at the hospital,' he said. 'Since the accident, I haven't been able to look at my sister's face ... it's unimaginable — you send your child to school in the morning and receive their burnt body in the afternoon.'
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
At least 27 killed as Bangladesh air force jet crashes into Dhaka school
A Bangladesh Air Force jet crashed into a college in the capital Dhaka on Monday, killing at least 27 people, mostly children, according to officials, in the country's deadliest air incident in recent memory. The crash at Milestone School and College campus, in the Diabari neighborhood of northern Dhaka, injured 171 others, the Bangladesh Armed Forces said Monday. Most of the injured are students who are being treated in hospitals in the capital, the military said. Students were attending afternoon classes when the BAF F7 jet hit the two-story campus around 1:18 p.m. local time (3:18 a.m. EST) after a mechanical fault, according to state media BSS News, citing the country's armed forces. The plane's pilot made 'every effort to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas toward a more sparsely inhabited location,' the military said. The pilot was among those killed, The Associated Press reported, citing regional officials. Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash. Of those killed, 25 were children and 78 people are receiving treatment at various hospitals in Dhaka, Dr Md Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, told reporters on Tuesday. Scores of people rushed toward the crash site, where emergency crews could be seen trying to extinguish the smoking wreckage of the jet. The government announced a day of mourning and special prayers, BSS News said. 'I express my deep grief and sorrow over the tragic incident of casualties caused by the crash,' the country's interim leader Muhammad Yunus wrote in a post on X. 'This is a moment of profound pain for the nation. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured and direct all concerned authorities, including hospitals, to address the situation with the utmost priority,' he added. 'I only saw fire and smoke' Eyewitnesses, including the parents of students, recalled huge plumes of ash rising over the school – after a banging sound rang out following the deadly crash. 'When I was picking (up) my kids and went to the gate, I realized something came from behind,' Masud Tarik, also a teacher at the school, told Reuters. 'I heard an explosion. When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke.' Others watched the chaotic aftermath unfold on TV. 'I was terrified watching videos,' Rafiqa Taha, a student at the facility, told The Associated Press. 'My God! It's my school,' added the 16-year-old. Milestone College teaches students from ages 4 to 18, according to its website. Video from Bangladesh's Channel 24 showed smoke billowing as firefighters sprayed water onto the crash site while onlookers gathered around. Other rescue workers searched the rubble. Video from the hospital shows people being urgently rushed in. A family member is heard saying his injured sister is a grade four student. Another family member told Channel 24 a first batch of victims arrived at the hospital with severe burns. 'We literally saw skin being torn off,' she said. A young, injured girl told Channel 24 from her hospital bed: 'When we came out, we saw many students who had been charred.' Condolences came in from across the region with Pakistan and India's prime ministers expressing their solidarity with Bangladesh. CNN's Aishwarya S. Iyer contributed reporting. Solve the daily Crossword
