Anguish at Bangladesh hospital after jet hits school
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."
'Helping the children'
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.
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AFP
2 days ago
- AFP
Posts share false Bangladesh jet crash death toll
"Dead -- 247; injured -- 522. Source: Milestone School authority," reads a Bengali-language Facebook post shared on July 23, two days after the disaster. Pupils had just been let out of class when a Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft slammed into the private Milestone School and College in Dhaka (archived link). Image Screenshot of the false post, taken on July 24 The post generated over 100 comments from users who appeared confused over the figures mentioned, which were higher than official reports. Some suggested there was a cover-up while others appeared to believe the false claim. "How cruel! We are always the scapegoats," one said. Another wrote, "Many die and they say 26/27 people died." Similar Facebook posts also racked up more shares but the school dismissed the claims. "This is completely baseless and wrong information," Milestone School and College coordinator Lutfunnessa Lopa told AFP on July 24. The claims are "impossible", she said, as the number of injured people mentioned in the false posts -- 522 -- exceeded those present at the campus at the time of the crash. AFP found no report on the school's website or Facebook page that stated the number of dead in the crash as 247 (archived here and here). The school authority released a statement on the day stating 22 students had died so far in the disaster, while many critical patients are receiving treatments in different hospitals (archived link). Lopa said that the number only covers the children who died, while the government's official death toll includes parents, teachers and staff who were killed. Special prayers were held across Bangladesh on July 25, as the death toll from the disaster rose to 32 (archived link). Bangladesh's Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate also separately refuted the posts. "It has been observed that widespread rumours are being spread on social media regarding the death toll at Milestone School and College. Many people are unknowingly believing these rumours," reads a statement the agency issued to the media (archived link). AFP has debunked misinformation around the crash here.
France 24
21-07-2025
- France 24
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." 'Helping the children' 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.
Euronews
21-07-2025
- Euronews
Bangladesh Air Force jet crashes into school in Dhaka, killing 16
A training aircraft belonging to the Bangladesh Air Force crashed onto a school campus in northern Dhaka on Monday, killing at least 16 people and injuring several others, the military and a fire official said. The Bangladesh Army's public relations office confirmed in a brief statement that the downed F-7 BGI aircraft belonged to the Air Force. The jet crashed onto the campus of Milestone School and College in Dhaka's Uttara neighbourhood, where students were taking tests and attending regular classes. Television footage showed fire and smoke billowing from the crash site. A doctor at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery told reporters that more than 50 people had been taken to the hospital for treatment. The Bengali-language daily paper Prothom Alo said it was mostly students who had sustained burn injuries. Parents and relatives panicked at the scene as rescuers, using tri-cycle rickshaws or whatever was available, transported the injured to hospitals. Rafiqa Taha, a student at the school who was not present at the time of the crash, told the AP by phone that Milestone School and College has around 2,000 students and offers classes from elementary to 12th grade. "I was terrified watching videos on TV," said the 16-year-old student. "My God! It's my school."
