Bangladesh fighter jet crashes into school, at least 16 fatalities reported.
Bangladesh Tragedy: Military Jet Strikes Dhaka School
On Monday, a training aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into the campus of Milestone School and College in Dhaka, claiming the lives of at least 16 students and causing widespread shock.
Chaos on the Playground
An eyewitness, 18‑year‑old Shafiur Rahman Shafi, described the incident:
“We were on the senior playground. Suddenly one of the two fighter planes crashed here, in the junior playground,”
He added that the crash produced a blast “felt like an earthquake,” followed by a fire that forced the army to respond later.
Rescue Efforts and Wounded Victims
- Firefighters and rescue teams retrieved injured students on stretchers.
- More than 100 people were hurt, with 83 receiving treatment in several hospitals, according to interim leader Muhammad Yunus.
- Chinese‑made F‑7 BJI aircraft took off at 1:06 pm (0706 GMT) and crashed soon after.
National Mourning and Grief
- The interim government declared a day of national mourning.
- Parents and relatives gathered at the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, searching for their children by uniforms and belongings.
- Yunus posted a heartfelt message on X, expressing “deep grief and sorrow” and noting the irreparable loss suffered by the Air Force, teachers and staff.
Historical Context
The crash remains Bangladesh’s deadliest aviation accident in decades. The worst disaster occurred in 1984, when a plane from Chattogram to Dhaka crashed, killing all 49 on board. A month earlier, a commercial aircraft crashed in India, killing 260 people.
