Military jet crash in Dhaka college campus results in 19 deaths, pilot and students among victims
The F-7 BGI jet took off at 1:06 p.m. (0706 GMT) from the Bangladesh Air Force base in Kurmitola, Dhaka, as part of a routine training mission, but encountered a mechanical failure, said the spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury.
'The pilot... made a valiant attempt to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas. Despite his best efforts, the aircraft... crashed into a two-storey building belonging to Milestone School and College,' he said.
The pilot was among those killed in the incident, the military said, adding that a committee had been formed to investigate its cause.
The F-7 ?BGI is the final and most advanced variant in China's Chengdu J-7/F-7 aircraft family, according to Jane's Information Group. Bangladesh signed a contract for 16 aircraft in 2011 and deliveries were completed by 2013.
The Chengdu F-7 is the licence-built version of the Soviet MiG-21.
Fire, despair at crash site
Videos 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 from a distance.
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, footage filmed by Reuters showed.
'A third-grade student was brought in dead, and three others, aged 12, 14 and 40, were admitted to the hospital,' said Bidhan Sarker, head of the burn unit at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, where some victims were taken.
Images from the scene also showed people screaming and crying as others tried to comfort them.
'When I was picking (up) my kids and went to the gate, I realised something came from behind... I heard an explosion. When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke,' said Masud Tarik, a teacher at the school.
The incident comes a little over a month after an Air India plane crashed on top of a medical college hostel in neighbouring India's Ahmedabad city, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground, marking the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. — Reuters
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Malay Mail
2 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Jeju Air crash: Pilots shut down working engine after bird strike, probe reveals
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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. 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The Star
2 days ago
- 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

The Star
6 days ago
- The Star
Death toll in Bangladesh fighter jet crash rises to 27
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