military training jet crashed into a school campus in Dhaka, Bangladesh, causing dozens of casualties
The Bangladesh Air Force F-7 BGI aircraft hit Uttara’s Milestone School and College campus on Monday, July 21, Channel 24 reported, citing the country’s Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR). The F-7 BGI is a Chinese-made jet.
Social media footage showed a burning wreckage and visibly injured people. Local fire official Lima Khan said at least one person died.
Shah Bulbul, a Milestone School and College spokesman, told BDnews24 that the plane fell onto the school gate and crashed nearby. “Classes were in session where the plane crashed with young students inside. The injured are being taken out one by one,” Bulbul said
In a post to its Facebook page, Milestone urged people wishing to donate blood to go to nearby hospitals, saying a lot was needed. It also told people to stay away from the accident site while rescue efforts are ongoing.
Dr. Shawon Bin Rahman, resident surgeon at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, told BDnews24 that the emergency department had received 30 patients.
“The number continues to rise. Most of the burn victims are students, and all of their conditions are critical,” the surgeon said.
Rezaul Islam, a teacher at Milestone College, told the BBC that young children take classes in a building impacted by the crashed jet. The building had holes in it and was on fire, he said.
Muhammad Yunus, head of the interim government in Bangladesh, expressed his “deep sorrow and grief over the tragic accident” in a statement posted to social media, originally in Bengali.
“The loss caused by this accident to the air force personnel, and to the students, guardians, teachers, and staff of Milestone School and College, is irreparable. This is a moment of profound sorrow for the nation,” Yunus said.
“I wish a speedy recovery to the injured and have instructed all relevant authorities, including hospitals, to respond to the situation with the highest priority. The government will take necessary measures to investigate the cause of the accident and will ensure all kinds of assistance.”
The F-7 is a multirole fighter manufactured by China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation. Its design is based on the Soviet-era MiG-21 and is largely used by Bangladesh to train fighter pilots.
At the end of June this year, an F-7 of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed in the Bay of Bengal, BDnews24 reported. In 2018, a Bengali F-7 crashed at Rasulpur in Tangail’s Madhupur upazila during a training flight, Prothom Aloreported.
