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At least 19 killed as military plane crashes into Bangladesh school campus At least 19 killed as military plane crashes into Bangladesh school campus
(about 2 hours later)
Another 50, including children, taken to hospitals in Dhaka with burns and other injuries Another 164 injured when training jet had technical problem after takeoff, with pilot said to be among the dead
At least 19 people have died after a Bangladesh air force plane crashed into a school campus in Dhaka. At least 19 people were killed and 164 injured after a Bangladesh air force training jet crashed into a college and school campus in the capital, Dhaka, on Monday after experiencing a technical problem shortly after takeoff.
Officials said more than 50 others, including children, were taken to hospital, mostly with burns injuries. The F-7 BGI jet took off at 1.06 pm (08.06 BST) from the Bangladesh air force base in Kurmitola, Dhaka, as part of a routine training mission, but encountered a mechanical failure, said the military spokesperson Lt Col Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury.
The plane crashed into the Milestone school and college in Dhaka’s northern area of Uttara on Monday. “The pilot ... made a valiant attempt to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas. Despite his best efforts, the aircraft ... crashed into a two-storey building belonging to Milestone school and college,” he said.
“Bangladesh air force’s F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed in Uttara. The aircraft took off at 13:06 (0706 GMT),” the military’s public relations department said in a statement. The pilot was among those killed in the incident, the military said, adding that a committee had been formed to investigate its cause.
Videos of the aftermath of the crash showed a large fire and heavy smoke. Videos of the aftermath of the crash showed a big fire near a lawn, emitting a thick plume of smoke into the sky, as crowds watched from a distance.
Crowds watched from a distance as firefighters sprayed water on the mangled remains of the plane, which appeared to be lodged in the side of a building where it had made a gaping hole. People were screaming and crying as others tried to comfort them. Firefighters sprayed water on the mangled remains of the plane, which appeared to have rammed into the side of a building, damaging iron grills and creating a gaping hole in the structure, footage filmed by Reuters showed.
“A third-grade student was brought in dead, and three others, aged 12, 14 and 40, were admitted to the hospital,” said Bidhan Sarker, head of the burns unit at the Dhaka medical college and hospital. “A third-grade student was brought in dead, and three others, aged 12, 14 and 40, were admitted to the hospital,” said Bidhan Sarker, the head of the burns unit at Dhaka medical college and hospital, where some victims were taken.
Masud Tarik, a teacher at the school, 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.” Images from the scene also showed people screaming and crying as others tried to comfort them.
Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, said “necessary measures” would be taken to investigate the cause of the accident and “ensure all kinds of assistance”. He added: “The loss suffered by the air force, students, parents, teachers and staff and others in this accident is irreparable.” “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,” said Masud Tarik, a teacher at the school.
The incident comes a little over a month after an Air India plane crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad, India, killing 241 of the 242 people onboard and 19 on the ground. It was the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade. The incident comes a little over a month after an Air India plane crashed on top of a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad in neighbouring India, killing 241 of the 242 people onboard and 19 on the ground, making it the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade.