&w=3840&q=100)
Bangladesh declares mourning day after deadly jet crash claims 31 lives
Onlookers are seen through a burnt classroom window of a school building after a Bangladesh air force training jet crashed into it in Dhaka, Bangladesh. AP
On Tuesday, the death toll from the crash of a Bangladesh air force training jet into a school in the country's capital rose to 31, including at least 25 students, a teacher who died from burn injuries sustained while assisting others in getting out of the burning building, and the training aircraft's pilot.
As the military began its inquiry, firefighters further guarded the area in the crowded Uttara neighbourhood of Dhaka. The probe did not directly include the nation's civil aviation authorities.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Tuesday was declared as a day of national mourning in Bangladesh, and all flags were flown at half-mast.
Monday's crash at the Milestone School and College caused a fire that gutted the two-story school building. Officials said 171 people, mostly students and many with burns, were rescued and carried away in helicopters, ambulances, motorized rickshaws and in the arms of firefighters and parents.
Many say they're haunted by the tragedy
'Yesterday, when the plane was approaching, the sound was so loud you can't even imagine — it felt like eardrums were about to burst. Within five seconds, the plane crashed right in front of me here,' Smriti, a student who only gave one name, said outside her school.
'Suddenly, I saw flames rising fiercely upward from the building,' the 11th grader said. 'When I got here, I saw some children lying with their limbs spread out, some of their lifeless bodies scattered around. Can you save them? Tell me, will they ever be able to return to their parents' arms again,' she asked.
On Tuesday, 78 people, mostly students, remained hospitalized, said Sayeedur Rahman, a special assistant to Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus. Twenty deaths were reported initially, and seven died of their injuries overnight, authorities said. Another four deaths were reported later Monday, the military said.
Maherin Chowdhury, a teacher who rescued more than 20 students from the burning school, died from severe burn injuries, her colleague Tanzina Tanu said.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Doctors said late Monday that the condition of about two dozen injured remained critical. A blood donation camp has been opened at a specialized burn hospital where most of the injured were being treated.
Twenty bodies have been handed over to their families, with some of them possibly needing DNA matching after they were charred beyond recognition. Many relatives waited overnight at a specialized burn hospital for the bodies of their loved ones.
The plane reported a malfunction
The Chinese-made F-7 BGI training aircraft experienced a 'technical malfunction' moments after takeoff from the A.K. Khandaker air force base at 1:06 p.m. Monday, according to a statement from the military.
The pilot, Flight Lt. Mohammed Toukir Islam, made 'every effort to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas toward a more sparsely inhabited location,' the military said, adding that it would investigate the cause of the crash.
The Milestone school, about an 11-kilometer (7-mile) drive from the air force base, is in a densely populated area near a metro station and numerous shops and homes.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
It was the pilot's first solo flight as he was completing his training course. It remained unclear if he managed to eject before the jet hit the building.
The first funeral prayers were held for the pilot in Dhaka on Tuesday morning and second prayers will be held in southwestern Rajshahi district where his parents live.
It is the deadliest plane crash in the Bangladeshi capital in recent memory. In 2008, another F-7 training jet crashed outside Dhaka, killing its pilot, who had ejected after he discovered a technical problem.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
At 78, veteran Chennai shooter is an inspiration
At 78, Malathy David's shooting prowess is flabbergasting. The septuagenarian, a resident of Kilpauk, is an inspiration to shooters – both budding and seasoned – at the Chennai Rifle Club, which she calls her 'second home'. Having picked up all disciplines – Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun – Malathy is the lone shooter in the Veteran Super Women category (above 70 years) from Tamil Nadu, even up to the South zonal level, in the rifle and pistol events. Recalling her childhood days in a neighbourhood where guns were commonplace, she says, 'When I was a kid, I used to watch our elders go on hunting expeditions – this was when game hunting was permitted, and that is what piqued my curiosity about guns.' Her first air rifle was a German-made Diana gifted by her father G.D. Dhanaraj, a senior police officer. Malathy's journey in shooting sports, however, began as an NCC cadet representing Fathima College, Madurai, where she did her PUC from 1962-63. 'It was a rough, uneven terrain in the Pasumalai hills where we used to shoot. There was no coat, sling or gloves or scopes to watch and correct, no sheets to lie down. There were pebbles and bushes all around. Yet, I managed to achieve half-an-inch groupings with a rifle,' she says. 'I continued pre-medicine in 1963-1964 and my achievements in NCC and sports, along with my marks in Natural Science, helped me get through the MBBS interview for the Madurai Medical College, which unfortunately did not have an NCC wing in those days,' she adds. After a long hiatus, she could reunite with her passion in the 1980s, thanks to her dad's reputation in the police force. 'Mr. Sripal, the then Commissioner of Police, Madras, recommended me for the selection trials in 1983 which was conducted by one Mr. Balashanmugham. I managed to secure 80% of the score required for membership to the Madras Rifle Club [now Chennai Rifle Club], where I joined in 1984,' she says. 'I started my practice with an open sight rifle in 1985 along with a few women shooters in the police department. Actor Nambiar's son Mr. Sukumaran was guiding me in the prone and three position,' Malathy recalls. In 1985, Malathy took part in the .22 Open Sight Rifle (women) events in both the state meet and nationals conducted by the Madras Rifle Club and won gold. 'The same year also I started off with Peep Sight Rifle and represented Tamilnadu in the National Games in Delhi and won the team silver along with Ms. Roopa Unnikrishnan and Ms. Asha Rao,' she recalls. 'Besides rifle shooting, I also gave a hand to the pistol team with fellow shooters Lalitha and Varalakshmi and bagged the national team medals in Pistol and Air Pistol events,' Malathy says. At the request of her mentor, Dr. Sivanthi Adityan, she began participating in the Shotgun events and became the first woman shooter to win medals in Trap and Double Trap events for the Chennai Rifle Club. From 1985 till date, Malathy says she has hardly missed any event, so much so that she has lost track of the number of medals she had won. The septuagenarian, however, rues that her participation is now confined to state meets and zonal events as she has none from the Super Woman category to compete with in the Nationals, besides not having a rifle of her own. 'Till a few years ago, I had taken part in the mixed events, wherein I competed with male shooters and won gold,' she says. And for someone with a shooting career spanning almost four decades, the decision to take part in competitions ignoring her rheumatoid arthritis pain has literally meant biting the bullet!
News18
7 hours ago
- News18
Man dies trying to cross English Channel from France
Last Updated: Paris, Jul 26 (AP) One person has died after attempting to cross the English Channel from a beach in northern France, local authorities said on Saturday, bringing the death toll this year in the perilous waterway to at least 18. The Pas-de-Calais department's prefecture told The Associated Press that a man was found in cardiac arrest on board a boat which had attempted to reach Britain and then turned back toward French shores. The man was found near Équihen beach, close to the town of Boulogne-sur-mer. He was pronounced dead despite the efforts of firefighters to revive him. An investigation into the cause of his death has been opened. French media, quoting numbers from France's Interior ministry, said 18 people have died trying to reach Britain by sea since the start of the year. (AP) GRS GRS Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Actor Celina Jaitly: As a daughter, I saw what weight my dad carried each day during Kargil War
On Kargil Vijay Diwas, actor Celina Jaitly remembers the period when her father (late) Colonel Vikram Kumar Jaitly was an active serving officer during the war period. Actor Celina Jaitly with her father (late) Colonel Vikram Kumar Jaitly 'A 1971 war veteran and an infantryman from the Kumaon Regiment, during the Kargil War, although not deployed at the front, I believe he was involved from base control, playing a role in coordination, communication, and logistics. I was a teenager then and as a daughter, I carry his legacy in pieces, but each one carries immense weight. I saw the weight he carried each day, and throughout his life as an infantry man,' recalls Celina. Celina Jaitly holding the Indian flag During the war period she was living in Kolkata. 'What I remember most vividly are the blank stares of parents at their sons' funerals, the gut-wrenching sobs of young wives/children who had just lost their husbands. It wasn't just news, it was pain that hung thick in the air, something we witnessed up close with immense heartache. Every home in the Army circle felt it. Every radio transmission, every phone call from the front, we lived and breathed it with a lump in our throats.' Four generations of Armed Forces. A legacy of olive green The memories are still fresh 26 years after. 'Tense, numb, prayerful – you're always holding your breath, waiting for news, dreading every unknown number that calls. You try to carry on with life, but emotionally, you're stationed at the front lines alongside them. The uniform isn't worn just by the one who serves, it's felt by the entire family. The women, the children, the elders, we all become silent warriors. Every Kargil dispatch felt personal. And every martyr felt like one of our own.' The war left a great impact on her brother. 'My younger brother was still in school during Kargil, but the war left a deep impact on him. It shaped his life's path, and he went on to join the Indian Army and serve as a Para SF officer. That sense of duty, born of pain and pride, ran deep in our family,' she says. Talking about the legacy, she says, 'My grandfather, Colonel E. Francis of the Rajputana Rifles, was also an infantryman, a 1962 war veteran, and was wounded during the Chinese aggression. His stories of resilience and sacrifice became part of our family's DNA. My great-grandfather served in the Army Education Corps and was a World War 1 veteran. So for us, Kargil wasn't just a chapter in national history, it was a moment that echoed through generations of service and sacrifice.' She concludes, 'There's pride, of course, but also a quiet grief that never fully goes away. When I see the country remembering Kargil with such respect and reverence, I feel seen, not just as a citizen, but as a soldier's daughter and granddaughter. But I also remember the cost. Behind every wreath laid and every candle lit, there is a family that paid the ultimate price. My father always said: 'If you want to honour a soldier, be an Indian worth dying for'.'
