DHAKA, July 21: A Bangladesh Air Force training fighter jet crashed into Milestone School and College in Dhaka’s Uttara area on Monday, killing at least 20 people—including the pilot—and injuring 171, most of them children, in one of the deadliest aviation disasters in Bangladesh’s recent history.
The aircraft, an F-7 BGI training fighter jet manufactured in China, took off from the Bangladesh Air Force Base AK Khandaker in Kurmitola at 1:06 p.m. as part of a routine training session. Shortly after takeoff, the plane developed a mechanical fault and crashed into the two-storey school building at around 1:15 p.m., according to the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR), the military’s media wing. A high-level investigation committee has been formed by the Air Force to determine the cause of the failure.
Flight Lieutenant Mohammad Towkir Islam, the pilot, died in the crash despite reportedly attempting to steer the plane away from populated areas. The school building, which housed primary and lower secondary students, was severely damaged. Witnesses said the jet struck the ground floor where classes for students in grades 3 and 4 were taking place.
Eyewitnesses and survivors described a terrifying scene. One student said the plane crashed just 10 feet ahead of him. A teacher recalled flames and smoke engulfing the building with no warning. “All I could see was fire, then smoke. My hands were burnt. I have trouble breathing, and my face is scorched,” she said. The crash triggered a fire and panic, with students and teachers trying to flee.
Brigadier General Zahed Kamal, Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defence, confirmed that 19 bodies were recovered from the school compound, and at least 50 people were critically injured. According to doctors, eight of the injured remain in critical condition. Many victims were severely burned, and the number of patients at hospitals continued to rise throughout the day.
Emergency services—including firefighters, army troops, police, and elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) forces—rushed to the site. Rescuers used ambulances, Air Force helicopters, and even rickshaws and vans to transport the wounded to nearby hospitals. These include the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dhaka Medical College Hospital, and the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery (NIBPS), which reported treating 18 burn victims, most of them students.
The crash prompted the deployment of three platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to assist in rescue and law enforcement. Senior military officials, including the chief of army staff, visited the site.
The interim government declared a one-day state mourning on July 22, with the national flag to be flown at half-mast across the country and at all Bangladesh missions abroad. Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus expressed shock and sorrow, calling it a heartbreaking incident. Law Adviser Asif Nazrul described the crash as an “unprecedented national tragedy.”
As the country reels from the loss, the crash has sparked renewed concern over aviation safety, particularly the risks posed by military training flights over densely populated urban areas. Rescue efforts and the official investigation continue. (PTI)
