21-07-2025
At least 19 killed as Bangladesh air force plane crashes into school campus
At least 19 people were killed as a Bangladesh air force training aircraft crashed into a school and college campus in the capital city of Dhaka on Monday.
The incident occurred at Milestone School and College in Dhaka's northern area of Uttara, the military's public relations department said in a statement.
"Bangladesh Air Force's F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed in Uttara. The aircraft took off at 13:06 (0706 GMT)," it said.
More than 50 people, including children and adults, were hospitalised with burns, a doctor at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery told reporters.
The death toll is yet to be ascertained, a military spokesperson said.
Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh's interim government, said "necessary measures" would be taken to investigate the cause of the accident and "ensure all kinds of assistance".
"The loss suffered by the Air parents, teachers and staff, and others in this accident is irreparable," he said.
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.
বাংলাদেশ বিমান বাহিনীর এফ - 7 বিজেআই প্রশিক্ষণ বিমান উত্তরায় বিধ্বস্ত | Uttara | Plane Crash | UNB #F7বিজেআই #aviation #plane #crash #bangladesh #military #airforce #training #incident #news #বাংলাদেশসংবাদ
— UNB - United News of Bangladesh (@unbnewsroom) July 21, 2025
Local newspaper Prothom Alo said that initial reports indicated the plane had crashed onto the roof of the college canteen. Reuters could not independently verify this information.
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.
