At least 19 killed as Bangladesh air force plane crashes into college campus

Reuters

At least 19 people were killed when a Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into a school and college campus in Dhaka on Monday, according to fire service officials.

More than 50 people, including children and adults, were hospitalised with burn injuries, a doctor from the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery told reporters.

The crash took place at Milestone School and College in the Uttara area of northern Dhaka. According to the military’s public relations office, the F-7 BGI training aircraft belonging to the Bangladesh Air Force took off at 13:06 (0706 GMT) before crashing.

Footage from the scene showed a large blaze on a lawn and thick smoke rising into the sky as bystanders looked on. Fire crews were seen dousing the twisted wreckage of the aircraft, which had struck a building, tearing through iron grills and leaving a large hole in the structure, according to visuals from Reuters TV.

Dr Bidhan Sarker, head of the burn unit at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, said a third-grade student had died and three others- aged 12, 14, and 40 had been admitted with injuries.

Scenes from the site showed distressed people shouting and crying, while others tried to console them.

Masud Tarik, a teacher at the school, said: “When I went to the gate to collect my children, I suddenly heard an explosion from behind. I turned around and saw flames and smoke.”

Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh’s interim government, promised a full investigation into the crash and pledged all necessary support to those affected.

“The losses suffered by the Air Force, as well as by the students, parents, teachers, and staff, are beyond repair,” he said.

The crash follows another tragic aviation incident just over a month ago, when an Air India aircraft struck a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad, India, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground- the deadliest plane crash in over a decade.

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