Latest news with #PurnimaDas
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First Post
22-07-2025
- General
- First Post
Is Chinese-origin jet to blame for Bangladesh air force plane crash?
Bangladesh witnessed one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent memory after a Chinese-origin fighter jet crashed into a school and college campus in Dhaka, killing over 25 people, including several children, and injuring more than 170 others. A high-level investigation is underway to uncover the exact cause of the fatal crash, as the Bangladesh air force's Chinese-origin F7 BGI plane is under the scanner read more Members of Bangladesh Airforce investigate on the site, after an air force training aircraft crashed into a building belong to Milestone School and College campus, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 22, 2025. Reuters Monday turned into a day of mourning and shock in Bangladesh after a military jet crashed into a school campus in Dhaka, killing over 25 people, including the pilot and several children, and injuring more than 170 others. The crash, one of the deadliest aviation disasters in the country's recent memory, took place shortly after the Chinese-origin F-7 BGI fighter jet took off from the Air Force Base AK Khandaker. Within minutes, it plummeted into Milestone School and College in Uttara, just as students were lining up to leave for the day. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Scenes of chaos unfolded almost instantly, smoke billowed over the site, flames engulfed parts of the school, and screams echoed through the building. Parents, locals, and emergency responders rushed in to pull the injured from the rubble. The government has since declared a national day of mourning, while a high-level investigation is underway to uncover what led to the fatal crash. Here's what we know so far. 'Saw little children running, saw bodies on fire' Purnima Das, a teacher at Milestone School and College, had just returned to the faculty room after finishing a class when a loud bang shook the building. Startled, she rushed out to understand what had happened — only to be met with a horrifying scene. Flames had engulfed the school corridor, and smoke was quickly filling the two-storey building. The section of the school that was hit housed mostly primary and secondary students. 'By then, 80 per cent of the children in that building had gone home. And then there was a terrible noise in the building, before I knew it, I saw little children running. I saw that their bodies were on fire," Das wrote in a post on Facebook. Firefighters and army members work next to the wreckage of an air force training aircraft after it crashed into Milestone College campus, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 21, 2025. Reuters In the chaos, she ran to the washroom and splashed water on some of the students who had suffered burns, hoping to relieve their pain. But panic and fire were already spreading rapidly across the school. 'When I came out of the room, I saw so much fire. The entire corridor was on fire. Just two feet away, a colleague of mine had run into the fire. He fell at my feet, pleading to be saved. His whole body was burned. I stood there like a stone. Someone pulled me away, and we were taken out," she recalled. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The aircraft involved was an F-7BGI, an advanced model of China's J-7 fighter jet, which had been on a training flight and took off from the air force base, just about 11 kilometres away. A desperate search for the loved ones The emotional and psychological impact of the crash has deeply scarred students and their families, many of whom witnessed the unthinkable. Farhan Hasan, a student who had just stepped out of an exam room, said he saw the jet hit the school with his own eyes. 'The plane hit the school building right before my eyes,' he told BBC Bangla. 'My best friend, the one I was in the exam hall with, he died right in front of my eyes.' Women react at the site of a At the crash site, panic quickly turned into desperation. Families scrambled for news about their children, and chaos unfolded both on the ground and at nearby hospitals. Jewel, a father who goes by one name, was among those waiting in agony to find out whether his daughter had survived. 'The plane crashed on the building where my daughter was. My wife called me, but I was praying so I could not pick up,' he told the AP. 'When I came here I saw there was a huge fire. There was a dead body of a child.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Fortunately, his daughter made it out alive. But many others were not as lucky. 'I saw many other children suffering from burns,' he said. Outside the school and at nearby medical centres, panic unfolded. Ambulances, rickshaws, and even the arms of firefighters and parents were used to carry the injured. Members of Bangladesh Airforce work at the site, after an air force training aircraft crashed into a building belong to Milestone School and College campus, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 22, 2025. Reuters Several victims were rushed to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), while others were transported via Air Force helicopters and emergency vans, local media reported. Rescue operations saw the army, air force, police, and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) jointly carrying out rescue and relief efforts, according to the Dhaka Tribune. Bangladesh's interim Prime Minister, Muhammad Yunus, expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy and pledged a full investigation. He announced on social media that an emergency hotline had also been set up at the school to assist families. PM Narendra Modi also expressed solidarity with Bangladesh in a statement, saying, 'Our hearts go out to the bereaved families. India stands in solidarity with Bangladesh and is ready to extend all possible support and assistance.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Twenty bodies have been handed over to their families. Some of the charred bodies were beyond recognition, and they might need DNA tests for matching, reports AP. A blood donation camp has been opened at a specialised burn hospital where most of the injured were being treated. Experts point to the Chinese jet's poor track record Authorities say the fatal crash that turned a school campus into a site of devastation was caused by a technical failure. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Directorate, the Bangladesh Air Force FT-7 BGI fighter jet developed a 'technical malfunction' shortly after it took off. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Md Towkir Islam Sagar, tried to steer the jet away from the densely populated neighbourhood of Uttara. But despite his efforts, the aircraft ended up crashing into a two-storey school building, killing himself and many others on the ground. The ISPR also confirmed that a high-level investigation committee has been formed by the Air Force to determine what exactly went wrong. However, aviation experts are already pointing towards the aircraft's troubling history. A former Bangladesh Air Force officer told Dhaka Tribune on condition of anonymity that the Chinese origin of the plane may be linked to the crash. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Bangladesh Air Force J-7BGI in 2018. Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons 'Chinese aircraft are one of the main reasons behind these repeated crashes, yet the Air Force continues to use them due to various constraints,' the retired officer said. Military data cited by the same report reveal that out of 11 crashes over the past two decades, seven involved China-manufactured aircraft. The remaining four were linked to three Russian-made jets and one Czech-made. The aircraft involved, the F-7 BGI, is a Chinese-made light, multi-role fighter jet developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation. Designed to perform a wide range of missions, from air-to-air combat and aerial bombing to reconnaissance and defence suppression, this model was regarded as an upgrade when Bangladesh purchased 36 of them in 2022, customised to meet military requirements. Others say that poor urban planning and violations of safety regulations may have contributed to the disaster. The area where the plane crashed used to be clear land, but unchecked development has transformed it into a densely populated area. Referring to the incident, a retired air official told Dhaka Tribune, 'Towkir (Pilot)… was approaching for landing, and the crash site was near his middle marker line… This area should have been cleared, but urban development took place on what used to be an empty canal.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He added that basic flight safety protocols were not being followed. 'Regardless of the location, at least an eight-nautical-mile obstacle-free fly zone is required for safe landings. But we are not following these rules. Even our approach lines are obstructed by numerous obstacles,' he said. On Tuesday, a national day of mourning is being observed across Bangladesh with flags flown at half-mast in all government offices, semi-government bodies, autonomous institutions, and educational campuses. With input from agencies
Mint
22-07-2025
- Mint
Bangladesh jet crash: Eyewitnesses recall children running whose ‘bodies were on fire', ‘friend died in front of eyes'
Eyewitnesses have described the horrifying Bangladeshi Air Force's F-7 jet crash incident that killed at least 27 when the Chinese made aircraft went down at Milestone School in Uttara neighbourhood of Dhaka on July 21. Purnima Das who is a teacher there recalled that she saw children running and their bodies on fire. Another's friend died in front of his eyes. 'When I came out of the room, I saw so much fire. The entire corridor was on fire. Just two feet away, a colleague of mine had run into the fire. He fell at my feet, pleading to be saved. His whole body was burned. I stood there like a stone. Someone pulled me away, and we were taken out,' Das recounted in a Facebook post. She added, 'By then, 80% of the children in that building had gone home. And then there was a terrible noise in the building, before I knew it, I saw little children running. I saw that their bodies were on fire.' According to Farhan, he saw the plane—engulfed in flames—hitting the building and his best friend died right in front of his eyes. 'My best friend, the one I was in the exam hall with, he died right in front of my eyes. In front of my eyes... the plane went right over his head. And many parents were standing inside because the younger kids were coming out since it was the end of the school day... the plane took the parents along with it," BBC Bangla quoted Farhan who was speaking in the presence of his uncle and father. Video footage from a school in a northern suburb of Dhaka captures a massive fire and dense smoke following the aircraft's collision with a two-storey building. Over 170 people sustained injuries in the crash. The country's military said it took off from Bangladesh Air Force Base A K Khandaker in Dhaka's Kurmitola area at 1:06 pm local time and crashed shortly afterward. The aircraft 'directly' struck the building, Rezaul Islam, a teacher told BBC. 'When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke... There were many guardians and kids here,' Reuters quoted another teacher, Masud Tarik who heard the explosion as saying. A woman, who was present at the scene and looking for information, said she had not talked to her son since their last call following the crash. Shah Alam, the uncle of a Year 8 boy, Tanvir Ahmed, who lost his life in the crash, was inside the hospital with other relative of those killed. He said, 'My beloved nephew is in the morgue right now." The majority of the victims at the burns hospital are minors, mostly aged between 9 and 14. Many came to the hospital to donate blood, and several politicians from the two leading parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, also paid visits. 'I express deep shock and sorrow over the tragic incident of the Bangladesh Air Force F-7 BGI training aircraft crash on the campus of Milestone School and College in the Diabari area of the capital today, which resulted in casualties,' Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the interim government stated. He added, 'The loss suffered by the air force personnel, students, parents, teachers, staff of Milestone School and College, and others in this accident is irreparable. This is a moment of deep grief for the nation.'
NDTV
22-07-2025
- General
- NDTV
"Colleague Collapsed Pleading To Be Saved": Dhaka Teacher On Crash Horror
For Purnima Das, Monday was another usual day. The teacher at Milestone School in Dhaka's Uttara neighbourhood had just finished one of the classes and returned to the faculty room when she was startled by a loud bang. As she rushed out to grasp what had unfolded, a horrific scene awaited her in the corridor - of children running in panic and their bodies on fire. The school was the site of a deadly fighter jet crash last morning that left 19 dead, including 16 children and pilot Flight Lieutenant Toukir Islam. Two of Ms Das's colleagues were also among the victims. Over 100 others were injured; some suffered severe burns. Ms Das had just crossed the corridor that went up in flames after the crash. The building held classes for mostly primary and secondary students. "By then, 80% of the children in that building had gone home. And then there was a terrible noise in the building, before I knew it, I saw little children running. I saw that their bodies were on fire," recalled Ms Das in a Facebook post. She said she rushed to the washroom and poured water on a few students who had suffered burns. By that time, both fire and panic had spread to the rest of the school. A teacher, meanwhile, screamed to vacate the rooms. "When I came out of the room, I saw so much fire. The entire corridor was on fire. Just two feet away, a colleague of mine had run into the fire and collapsed while pleading to be saved. His whole body was burned. I stood there like a stone. Someone pulled me away and we were taken out," said Ms Das. When she returned after five minutes, she said she saw the burnt bodies of the young students in the building. "Why didn't I get a scratch, why nothing happened to me, I don't know. The faces of those little children are floating before my eyes," said the traumatised teacher. The trauma took a heavy toll on the students as well, having to witness their classmates burn to death. The plant hit the school building right before my eyes, recounted Farhan Hasan, who had just finished an exam and left the classroom. The mother of an injured student at a hospital after the deadly crash "My best friend, the one I was in the exam hall with, he died right in front of my eyes," he told BBC Bangla. Masud Tarik, another teacher at the school, recalled that he heard an explosion and turned around to see only fire and smoke. Speaking to Reuters, he said, "When I was picking (up) my kids and went to the gate, I realised something came from behind...I heard an explosion. When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke." The F-7BGI aircraft, an advanced version of the Chinese J-7 fighter, was on a training flight when it crashed into the school building in the bustling neighbourhood. The jet had suffered a mechanical fault and crashed while trying to navigate to a less populated area, according to a statement by the armed forces. The plane "directly" hit the building, a teacher, Rezaul Islam, told the BBC. The injured are being treated at seven hospitals. At least 25 of them are critical. A probe committee has been formed to investigate the crash.
