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A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into the Milestone School and College campus in Dhaka’s Uttara neighborhood on Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring 171 others, according to military and hospital sources. The crash occurred around 1:00 PM local time (07:00 GMT) as students were in classrooms or writing exams.
The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Mohammed Toukir Islam, was among the dead. Officials say he made a final effort to steer the aircraft away from more densely populated areas before the plane plowed into the college compound. The aircraft involved was an F-7 BGI, a Chinese-built jet used for training.
Horrific Aftermath
Footage from the scene showed flames and thick black smoke rising from the crash site. Firefighters and army personnel worked alongside rescuers to put out the blaze and retrieve bodies from the debris. The aircraft slammed into a side of the school building, tearing through iron grills and leaving a gaping hole.
Social media was flooded with disturbing videos showing injured students, many between the ages of 8 and 14, being rushed into ambulances. Eyewitness Masud Tarik, a teacher at the school, recounted:
> “When I went to the gate to pick up my kids, I heahttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uttara_(neighbourhood)rd an explosion behind me. I turned and saw a wall of fire and smoke.”
Emergency Response and Mourning
The injured were taken to Dhaka’s National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, where several remain in critical condition. An emergency hotline has been activated for families seeking information.
Interim Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus has declared Tuesday a national day of mourning and expressed “deep grief and sorrow” for the victims, calling the crash “an irreparable tragedy.” He also pledged a full investigation into the cause.
Call for Support
The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society has appealed for blood donations and funds to support medical treatment for the injured.
Second Regional Tragedy in Weeks
This catastrophe comes just over a month after India’s worst aviation disaster in a decade, where an Air India flight crashed into a medical collegeb in Ahmedabad, killing 241 people on board and 19 on the ground.
As Bangladesh reels from this shocking incident, questions are likely to arise over air safety standards, especially involving military aircraft training over densely populated urban centers.
