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A Bangladeshi fighter jet crashed into a school in the capital, Dhaka, on Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring over 170, marking the country’s deadliest aviation accident in decades.
Many of the victims were young students who had just been released from class when the Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft struck the Milestone School and College.
An AFP photographer at the scene witnessed fire and rescue officials transporting injured students on stretchers, while army personnel worked to clear the wreckage.
A military statement confirmed 20 fatalities, including the pilot, and 171 injuries, stating the jet crashed due to a mechanical failure.
Eyewitness Accounts and Aftermath
Shafiur Rahman Shafi, an 18-year-old student, described hearing a massive blast that felt like an earthquake. “There were two fighter planes… Suddenly, one of the two planes crashed here (in the junior playground),” he told AFP. “It created a boom, and it felt like a quake. Then it caught fire, and the army reached the spot later.”
Most of the injured, aged between eight and 14, were treated at Dhaka’s National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute.
Grieving relatives crowded the hospital, and dozens of volunteers lined up to donate blood.
Tofazzal Hossain, 30, broke down upon learning his young cousin, an eighth-grader at the school, had been killed.
Investigation and National Mourning
The military stated the pilot was on a routine training mission when the jet “reportedly encountered a mechanical failure.”
Despite the pilot’s “best efforts” to divert the aircraft from densely populated areas, it crashed into the two-storey school building. The exact cause remains under investigation.
Interim government head Muhammad Yunus announced a day of national mourning for Tuesday, expressing “deep grief and sorrow” over the incident on X.
He described the loss suffered by the Air Force, the school community, and others affected as “irreparable,” calling it “a moment of profound pain for the nation.”
This crash is Bangladesh’s worst aviation accident in decades, surpassing a 1984 disaster that killed 49.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences and pledged support, despite strained relations between the neighbours since the ousting of Sheikh Hasina last year.
