Anguish At Bangladesh Hospital After Jet Hits School
In Bangladesh's deadliest aviation accident in decades, a training aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into a school campus in the northwestern part of its bustling capital Dhaka.
Grief hung heavy over the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, where many of the more than 150 injured were rushed for treatment.
Tofazzal Hossain, 30, broke down in tears on learning that his young cousin had been killed.
"We frantically searched for my cousin in different hospitals," Hossain told AFP.
"He was an eighth grader. Finally, we found his body."
The Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft crashed moments after students were let out of class at 1:00 pm (0700 GMT) at the Milestone School and College.
The well-known private school offers education to kindergarten children as well as senior secondary students.
"We have two playgrounds, one for the senior students and one for the juniors," said Shafiur Rahman Shafi, 18, who is enrolled at the school.
"We were on the playground for the seniors. 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."
The Dhaka hospital's joint director, Mohammad Maruf Islam, said most of the injured were aged between eight and 14.
Of the 51 brought to the facility, at least 20 were critically hurt, he said.
Monsur Helal, 46, waited grimly as his wife Mahrin -- a coordinator in the school -- lay unconscious on life support.
"Mahrin was helping the children out of the classroom when the plane suddenly crashed near her," he said.
"She was able to speak with me briefly, but now she is unresponsive."
Outside the hospital's intensive care unit, grieving and tearful mothers comforted one another, sharing harrowing stories of how they found their children.
Dozens of volunteers lined up at the hospital, ready to donate blood.
The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus announced a day of national mourning on Tuesday.
The crash was the worst aviation accident in the country in several decades.
The deadliest ever disaster happened in 1984 when a plane flying from Chattogram to Dhaka crashed, killing all 49 on board. The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus announced a day of national mourning after the crash AFP
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DW
2 days ago
- DW
Bangladesh jet crash renews debate on training over cities – DW – 07/22/2025
A deadly Air Force training jet crash in Bangladesh has drawn calls for accountability, and to relocate bases and training from densely populated areas. Bangladesh observed a day of mourning on Tuesday, with flags flying at half-mast and special prayers held at places of worship, a day after the country's deadliest aviation accident in decades. At least 31 people were killed, and more than 170 injured, on Monday when a training aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) crashed into the campus of the Milestone School and College in Dhaka shortly after taking off from Kurmitola airbase. "Those dead included 25 children, a teacher, and the pilot," Sayedur Rahman, a Health Ministry spokesman, told reporters in Dhaka on Tuesday. He said that at least 88 people were hospitalized with burn injuries. Bangladesh's interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, pledged an investigation, expressing his deep sorrow over the "heartbreaking accident." The F-7 BGI is an advanced variant of a Chinese-designed Chengdu J-7/F-7 aircraft. Bangladesh signed a contract for 16 aircraft in 2011 and deliveries were completed by 2013. Monday's incident marks the country's deadliest aviation accident in decades, authorities said. However, observers noted that several accidents have occurred in the past involving the aircraft family. In April 2008, another F-7 training fighter jet crashed into a village in Tangail, 83 kilometres (56 miles) northwest of Dhaka, killing its pilot, who had ejected after he discovered a technical problem. In June 2015, an F-7 MB fighter jet crashed off the coast of the Bay of Bengal near the port city of Chattogram. The pilot went missing after the crash. In November 2018, an F-7 BG crashed during a training session in Tangail, killing the pilot. The aircraft had taken off from Dhaka and crashed just 25 minutes into the flight, catching fire upon impact with the ground. Zulkarnain Saer Khan, an investigative journalist based in London, believes that despite those accidents, the BAF continues to use the F-7 due to "economic necessity, established infrastructure, and slow procurement of modern aircraft." "While plans to acquire Eurofighter or JF-17 jets show progress, Bangladesh's limited budget and complex procurement process delay the phase-out of the F-7," he told DW. "Rigorous maintenance and expedited modernization are critical to reducing risks, but these face significant economic and logistical challenges." Immediately after Monday's incident, many people took to social media to renew calls for relocating military bases from Dhaka to elsewhere. Bangladesh's capital is considered one of the most densely populated urban areas in the world, with over 22 million people living in an area of approximately 300 square kilometers (116 square miles). A large part of the capital is occupied by a military garrison that many believe should be moved elsewhere due to safety reasons. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Dhaka-based lawyer Sara Hossain pointed out that while other cantonments are located outside main cities, Dhaka has a cantonment situated deep within the megacity. "It's a restricted area where ordinary people can't enter, which is more problematic. Why should there be two classes of people, with one having access to the cantonment and others not? Roads are shut for others. I don't see any logic behind it." Zyma Islam, a local journalist in Dhaka, has cast doubt on the military's claim that "mechanical failure" was to blame for the crash. "We do know the army was conducting military jet fighter training in heavily populated civilian areas," the senior reporter from the Daily Star told DW. She questioned "whether or not we should be conducting military training in a very densely populated city like Dhaka." Islam added that the crash affected a primary school. "There is this deep sense of shock and devastation and anger," she said. "It's not OK for parents to send their children to school and have them turn up in body bags." BAF's base in Dhaka has been using the runway of the country's main civilian airport for its training purposes for decades. Observers say the shared runway's approach path, known as the "final" in aviation terms, extends 6-8 nautical miles and passes over densely populated areas, such as Uttara, where the school was located just 1.9 nautical miles (3.5 kilometers) from the runway's touchdown point. Sara Hossain thinks that in light of Monday's incident, the government should issue an administrative order to ban Air Force training flights over populated areas. "The crash was unwanted and avoidable. Administrative orders should be issued immediately to stop repetition of such incidents in the future," Hossain told DW. "The military and air force have many open areas where such training can take place. There is no need to conduct such training in populated areas." "There should be an investigation to find out who made the calls to conduct training in these areas and whether a risk assessment was done beforehand. Those responsible should be held accountable," she added. However, investigative journalist Khan believes that BAF is not ''intentionally conducting'' training over populated areas, and the problem lies with ''poor urban planning.'' "The real issue lies in poor urban planning and lax zoning regulations that allowed a school to be built in such a high-risk aviation zone," Khan told DW. Authorities like the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) and local government "must be held accountable for permitting settlements near the runway's approach path, a necessity for both military and civilian aviation," he said. "Public focus should shift to demanding stricter zoning laws and better urban planning to prevent further encroachment, as relocating the runway is infeasible due to cost and land limitations," Khan added. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
DW
3 days ago
- DW
Bangladesh: Many killed after plane crashes into school – DW – 07/21/2025
At least 19 people were killed and more than 100 were injured after a Bangladesh Air Force plane crashed into a school building in Dhaka. It is the country's deadliest aviation disaster in more than 40 years. At least 19 people were killed and dozens injured on Monday when a training aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into a school campus in Dhaka, marking the country's deadliest aviation accident in decades, authorities said. "The bodies of those whose identities can be confirmed will be handed over to their families as soon as possible," Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus said on X. "The bodies of those whose identities cannot be immediately confirmed will be identified through DNA testing and subsequently handed over to their families." "To ensure uninterrupted medical operations, the general public is specially requested to avoid unnecessary crowding in the hospital area," he added. At least 19 people were killed and more than 100 were injured in the crash, with at least 83 needing hospital treatment, the office of Yunus said. The Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft took off at 1:06 pm local time (0706 GMT) and crashed soon after at the Milestone School and College campus. The educational institution is located in the Uttara neighborhood and students were in class at the time of the accident. The school has students from elementary up to 12th grade. Footage of the aftermath of the crash showed a big fire near a lawn emitting a thick plume of smoke into the sky, as crowds watched on from afar. Firefighters sprayed water on the mangled remains of the plane, which appeared to have rammed into the side of a building, damaging iron grills and creating a gaping hole in the structure, Reuters TV visuals showed. The cause of the crash is not yet known and the government said it would launch an investigation. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Bangladesh's deadliest ever aviation disaster occurred in 1984 when a plane flying from Chattogram to Dhaka crashed, killing all 49 on board. Monday's incident comes a little over a month after an Air India plane crashed on top of a medical college hostel in India's Ahmedabad city, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground, making it the world's deadliest aviation disaster in a decade.
DW
3 days ago
- DW
Bangladesh: Several killed after plane crashes into school – DW – 07/21/2025
At least 19 people were killed and more than 100 were injured after a Bangladesh Air Force plane crashed into a school building in Dhaka. It is the country's deadliest aviation disaster in more than 40 years. At least 19 people were killed and dozens injured on Monday when a training aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into a school campus in Dhaka, marking the country's deadliest aviation accident in decades, authorities said. "The bodies of those whose identities can be confirmed will be handed over to their families as soon as possible," Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus said on X. "The bodies of those whose identities cannot be immediately confirmed will be identified through DNA testing and subsequently handed over to their families." "To ensure uninterrupted medical operations, the general public is specially requested to avoid unnecessary crowding in the hospital area," he added. At least 19 people were killed and more than 100 were injured in the crash, with at least 83 needing hospital treatment, the office of Yunus said. The Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft took off at 1:06 pm local time (0706 GMT) and crashed soon after at the Milestone School and College campus. The educational institution is located in the Uttara neighborhood and students were in class at the time of the accident. The school has students from elementary up to 12th grade. Footage of the aftermath of the crash showed a big fire near a lawn emitting a thick plume of smoke into the sky, as crowds watched on from afar. Firefighters sprayed water on the mangled remains of the plane, which appeared to have rammed into the side of a building, damaging iron grills and creating a gaping hole in the structure, Reuters TV visuals showed. The cause of the crash is not yet known and the government said it would launch an investigation. Bangladesh's deadliest ever aviation disaster occurred in 1984 when a plane flying from Chattogram to Dhaka crashed, killing all 49 on board. Monday's incident comes a little over a month after an Air India plane crashed on top of a medical college hostel in India's Ahmedabad city, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground, making it the world's deadliest aviation disaster in a decade.
