Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashes into school in Dhaka, killing at least 1
The aircraft crashed onto the campus of Milestone School and College, in Dhaka's Uttara neighborhood, where students were taking tests or attending regular classes.
Television footage showed fire and smoke billowing from the site of the crash.
Jamuna TV reported that at least 13 people, including students, were injured.
Bengali-language Prothom Alo daily said most of the injured were students with burn injuries, with at least 20 people taken to a hospital.
Parents and relatives panicked at the scene as rescuers, using tri-cycle rickshaws or whatever was available, transported the injured.
Rafiqa Taha, a student at the school who was not present at the time of the crash, told The Associated Press by phone that Milestone School and College, with some 2,000 students, runs classes from elementary to twelfth grade.
On Monday, she said, some students were taking tests while others attended regular classes.
"I was terrified watching videos on TV," said the 16-year-old student. "My God! It's my school."
The Bangladesh Army's public relations office confirmed in a brief statement that the downed F-7 BGI aircraft belonged to the Air Force. Fire official Lima Khanam stated by phone that at least one person died and four others were injured, though she did not provide further details. - AP
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Herald Malaysia
2 days ago
- Herald Malaysia
Church mourns deaths in Bangladesh military plane crash
In Bangladesh, grief and shock gripped the capital, Dhaka, after a military jet crashed into Milestone School and College on July 21, killing at least 31 and injuring more than 170. Aug 01, 2025 Students hold placards and pictures of a victim as they protest July 22, 2025, demanding the actual number of the death toll after an air force training aircraft crashed into a building belonging to Milestone School and College in Dhaka, Bangladesh July 21. (OSV News/Reuters/Mohammad Ponir Hossain DHAKA: In Bangladesh, grief and shock gripped the capital, Dhaka, after a military jet crashed into Milestone School and College on July 21, killing at least 31 and injuring more than 170. Most of the victims were students who were just leaving class when the F-7 fighter slammed into the building, sparking a deadly fire. Pope Leo XIV said he was 'deeply saddened' to learn of 'the loss of life' caused by the air force jet crash in Bangladesh. The Pope said in a July 22 telegram that he 'entrusts the deceased to the merciful love of the Almighty' and was also 'praying that their families and friends may be consoled in their grief, and for the healing and comfort of the injured.' The telegram, signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State, said, 'The Holy Father invokes upon the entire school community, and all affected by this tragedy, the divine blessings of peace and strength.' After the crash, a portion of the school caught fire, killing dozens. Of the more than 170 injured, at least 76 people were undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Dhaka, local health authorities said. A sense of grief and desperation engulfed Dhaka's Uttara district as anguished families searched desperately for their loved ones. Parents rushed between the crash site, hospitals and morgues in a frantic attempt to locate their children, the paper said. In a July 22 letter to the Bangladesh government, Archbishop Kevin Randall, apostolic nuncio to Dhaka, expressed 'profound sorrow' upon learning of the tragic plane crash, which resulted 'in the loss of precious lives, the majority of whom were children, and injury to others.' The nuncio offered his condolences to 'the bereaved families and to the entire nation,' offering 'prayers and spiritual closeness.' 'May the Almighty grant eternal rest to the departed, especially the young lives so suddenly taken, healing to the injured, and strength and consolation to all who are affected by this painful tragedy,' Archbishop Randall said. One of the parents, who was on his way to pick up his child from school when the plane crashed, said that luckily, he found his child unharmed. Sharif Ahmed said that it was 'a terrifying moment' that he 'cannot express in words.' 'Children were coming out of the school with their bodies on fire, crying all around, parents were running around like crazy. I was also looking for my son. But when I found my son unharmed, he was silent for at least 10 minutes, unable to say anything out of fear,' said Ahmed. The Bangladesh bishops' conference also expressed condolences in a statement, urging the government to provide full support for the treatment of the injured and those who lost loved ones. Bishop Ponen Paul Kubi, the conference's secretary general, called for prayers and urged authorities to take measures to prevent such incidents in the future. Hundreds of students protested on July 22 near the site of the crash demanding accountability, compensation for victims' families and the halt of training flights. --OSV
The Star
27-07-2025
- The Star
Jeju Air jet still had a working engine when it crashed, investigation update says
SEOUL (Reuters) -A Jeju Air plane that crashed in December during an emergency landing after a bird strike could have kept flying on the damaged engine that was still working after pilots shut down the other one, according to an update from South Korean investigators. The Boeing 737-800 instead belly-landed at Muan airport without its landing gear down, overshot the runway and erupted into a fireball after slamminginto an embankment, killing all but two of the 181 people on board. Investigators have not yet produced a final report into the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil, but information about the plane's two engines has begun to emerge. According to a July 19 update prepared by investigators and seen by Reuters but not publicly released following complaints from victims' family members, the left engine sustained less damage than the right following a bird strike, but the left engine was shut down 19 seconds after the bird strike. The right engine experienced a "surge" and emitted flames and black smoke, but investigators said it "was confirmed to be generating output sufficient for flight," in the five-page update, which included post-crash photos of both engines. No reason for the crew's actions was given and the probe is expected to last months as investigators reconstruct the plane's technical state and the picture understood by its pilots. Experts say most air accidents are caused by multiple factors and caution against putting too much weight on incomplete evidence. MORE QUESTIONS So far, public attention has focused on the possibility that the crew may have shut down the less-damaged engine, rekindling memories of a 1989 Boeing 737-400 crash in Kegworth, England, where pilots shut down a non-damaged engine by mistake. The disaster led to multiple changes in regulations including improvements in crew communication and emergency procedures. A source told Reuters on Monday that the South Korea-led probe had "clear evidence" that pilots had shut off the less-damaged left engine after the bird strike, citing the cockpit voice recorder, computer data and a switch found in the wreckage. But the latest update on the crash also raises the possibility that even the more heavily damaged engine that was still running could have kept the plane aloft for longer. It did not say what level of performance the operating engine still had, nor what extra options that might have given to the plane's emergency-focused crew before the jet doubled back and landed in the opposite direction of the runway from its initial plan with its landing gear up. Both engines contained bird strike damage and both experienced engine vibrations after the strike. The right engine showed significant internal damage, the Korean-language update from South Korea's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB) said, but it did not describe the damage found in the left engine. The update did not say how the left engine was operating nor the state of systems connected to either engine, said former U.S. National Transportation Safety Board investigator Greg Feith when shown the document translated by Reuters. It contains some new facts but omits far more,resulting in a "cryptic" document, he said. ARAIB, which plans to issue a final report next June, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Safety experts say it is common for early reports to contain sparse facts and limited analysis while investigations continue. A preliminary report released in January said feathers and blood stains from ducks were found in both engines. The engines - made by CFM International, jointly owned by GE and France's Safran - were examined in May and no defects or fault datawere found beyond the bird and crash damage, the report said. Families of those who died in the disaster were briefed on the engine findings but asked investigators not to release the July 19 report, saying that it appeared to apportion blame to the pilots without exploring other factors. The report was withheld but Reuters and South Korean media obtained and GE referred questions about the crash to ARAIB. Safran did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Jeju Air has previously said it is cooperating with ARAIB and is awaiting publication of the investigation. Under global aviation rules, civil air investigations aim to discover crash causes without assigning blame or liability. The Jeju Air pilots' union said ARAIB was "misleading the public" by suggesting there was no problem with the left engine given that bird remains were found in both. A source who attended the briefing told Reuters that investigators told family members the left engine also experienced a disruptive "surge," citing black box data. The pilot union and representatives of bereaved families have asked that evidence be released to support any findings. Relatives say the investigation also needs to focus on the embankment containing navigation equipment, which safety experts have said likely contributed to the high death toll. Global aviation standards call for any navigation equipment in line with runways to be installed on structures that easily give way in case of impact with an aircraft. South Korea's transport ministry has identified seven domestic airports, including Muan, with structures made of concrete or steel, rather than materials that break apart on impact and has said it will improve them. Designs for the new structures are in progress, a ministry official told Reuters last week. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Heekyong Yang in Seoul and Dan Catchpole in Seattle; Additional reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in Seoul; Editing by Jamie Freed)
The Star
26-07-2025
- The Star
Day of prayers for victims after Bangladesh jet crash
Muslims offer a special prayer at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka on July 25, 2025, for the victims of the tragic plane crash at the Milestone School and College. Special prayers were held across Bangladesh on July 25, as the death toll from a fighter jet crash into a school building in Dhaka rose to 32. - AFP DHAKA: Special prayers were held across Bangladesh on Friday (July 25), as the death toll from a fighter jet crash into a school building in Dhaka rose to 32. Most of the dead were children - the youngest aged nine - after the Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft slammed into the Milestone School and College on Monday following a mechanical failure. The authorities earlier said 31 people were killed and 170 injured in the deadliest aviation disaster in the country in decades. The latest to succumb to her injuries was 10-year-old Tasnim Afroz Ayman, hospital coordinator Sarkar Farhana Kabir told AFP. "She was undergoing treatment in the High Dependency Unit with 45 per cent burns," she said. Ayman's uncle, Saiful Islam, said she remained calm and composed despite undergoing excruciating pain during her final hours. "Even last night, she consoled her mother. But God had other plans," Saiful told AFP. As of Friday, 51 others were receiving treatment in various city hospitals. Following a government directive, all mosques across the country held special prayers during the Friday congregation. Ashraful Islam, who came to pray at a mosque close to the school, lost both his children - Tahia Ashraf Nazia, 13, and Arian Ashraf Nafi, 9. "I have nothing left," Ashraful told reporters. Nazia kept asking about her younger brother Nafi until her last breath, he added. Her final request was for an ice cream, said her aunt Naznin Akhter. "I'm burning inside. Give me some ice cream... and don't let go of my hand," were her last words, she told a local TV channel. India and Singapore have sent doctors specialising in burn care to assist their Bangladesh colleagues. A military investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the accident. - AFP
