Latest news with #Uttara
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Hero teachers killed trying to save children from Bangladesh fighter jet blast
At least three teachers died trying to get young children to safety after a fighter jet crashed into a school in Bangladesh 's capital on Monday, killing at least 31 people in one of the worst aviation disasters in the country's history. So far 25 school pupils, most of them under the age of 12, have been reported killed in the crash which saw a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft come down on top of a school building in Dhaka 's densely populated Uttara neighbourhood. The members of the school's faculty who were killed include Mahrein Chowdhury, a 46-year-old school administrator, sustained 80 per cent burns while trying to escort students out of the Hyder Ali Hall building at the school when the F-7 BGI crashed into the school, about 12 minutes after its takeoff from a nearby military facility. Chowdhury was escorting students to meet their parents when the aircraft crashed into the gate of the building. Despite being severely burned herself, Chowdhury helped take 20 students to safety. Hours later, she succumbed to her injuries in hospital. "She didn't get out first from her building when it caught fire, instead tried to get as many students out but ended up suffering 100 per cent burns, said her brother, Munaf Mojib Chowdhury. He recalled his elder sister as a mother-like figure who had helped to raise him. Mahrein Chowdhury was buried on Tuesday in her family graveyard beside her parents. Two other teachers are known to have succumbed to their burn injuries, a senior teacher who was present in the next building at the time of the disaster, told The Independent, though the overall death toll from the crash has continued to rise throughout Tuesday. The crash took place shortly after 1pm when students were leaving exams and teachers were busy checking papers, according to the senior teacher, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on behalf of the school. He recalled hearing a loud sound – comparing it to a bomb blast – when the aircraft first crashed into a school building. "The school is near an air force base, so we are used to the noise of fighter aircraft, but this was extraordinarily loud. At first glance, I couldn't spot anything, but seconds later, a thick stream of smoke started coming out of the building," he recalled. The senior teacher saw dozens of injured students – mostly those with minor injuries – running toward the school's medical room on the lower floor, while many other pupils were trapped under debris on the second floor. Army personnel stationed nearby rushed to the school as the fire from the blast intensified and spread rapidly about 15 minutes after the crash, leading to more fatalities. Ambulances and a helicopter arrived at the scene shortly after. "As the fire spread, we were asked to move toward the playing field. Everyone was evacuated to the grounds to make space for the ambulance and the helicopter to take the pupils to the nearest hospitals," the senior teacher said. "Everyone who could help, including teachers, staff and pupils, jumped in to the rescue without thinking twice." Doctors said late on Monday that about two dozen people remained in a critical condition, out of a total 165 injured. A blood donation camp has been opened at a specialised burns hospital where most of the injured were being treated. Twenty bodies have been handed over to their families, with some needing DNA matching after they were charred beyond recognition. Many relatives waited overnight at the burns hospital while identification processes were carried out. Nasima Begum was among the mothers whose children were admitted to the hospital after suffering severe burns in the crash. Her son, who studies in grade seven, was playing when the crash happened, Ms Begum told The Independent. "He's completely burned," she said. "It has been more than 24 hours, his state is critical. The doctors are not saying anything positive. This is the second hospital we have had to take him," she said, as she prayed to Allah to save her son. Rubina Akter said her son Raiyan Toufiq had a miraculous escape after his shirt caught fire when he was on a staircase. "He sprinted to the ground floor and jumped on the grass to douse it," she told Reuters. "He tore his shirt and vest inside which saved him from severe burns." Another student who had already left the classroom after finishing his exam told BBC Bangla: "My best friend, the one I was in the exam hall with, he died right in front of my eyes." Rescue workers continued to scour the charred buildings for debris on Tuesday as distressed residents of the area looked on. Abul Hossain mourned his nine-year-old daughter after saying his final goodbye on Monday night. "I took her to school yesterday morning like every day. I had no idea it would be the last time I would be seeing her," he said. The pilot, Flight Lt Mohammed Toukir Islam, who died in the crash, made "every effort to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas toward a more sparsely inhabited location," the military said. The Chinese-made F-7 BGI training aircraft experienced a "technical malfunction" moments after takeoff from the AK Khandaker air force base at 1.06 pm local time on Monday, the military added. It was the pilot's first solo flight as he was completing his training course. It remained unclear if he managed to eject before the jet hit the building. The Bangladesh air force said it has launched a formal investigation. The government declared Tuesday was a day of mourning, with flags at half-mast and special prayers at all places of worship as hundreds of students protested near the site of the crash. The Milestone school is located about 11km from the air force base in a densely populated area near a metro station and numerous shops and homes. The protesting students transparency over the numbers and identities of the dead and injured, compensation for their families, and an immediate halt to the use of "outdated and unsafe" training aircraft by the Bangladesh Air Force. They chanted slogans and accused security officials of beating them and manhandling teachers. The students angrily confronted two senior government advisers who arrived to visit the scene, forcing them to take cover for six hours inside the school campus before additional security forces arrived and escorted them out. Scores of students suffered injuries after police charged them with batons after they broke through security barricades and entered the Bangladesh Secretariat complex, elsewhere across the capital. Security fired tear gas and used stun grenades to disperse the crowd. Monday's plane crash was the deadliest aviation incident in the Bangladeshi capital in decades. In 2008, another F-7 training jet crashed outside Dhaka, killing its pilot, who had ejected after he discovered a technical problem. Bangladesh's F-7 is a modern variant of China's Chengdu F-7, itself modelled on the Soviet MiG-21. While considered outdated by global standards, it remains in service due to its cost-effectiveness and suitability for pilot training and limited combat roles. Its production ceased after China delivered the last of 16 units of F-7 BGIs to Bangladesh in 2013. The incident comes as neighbour India is still grappling with the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade after an Air India plane crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad city in Gujarat last month, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground.
Globe and Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Students protest in Bangladesh after air force training jet crash kills 31
Hundreds of students protested near the site of the crash of a Bangladesh air force training jet into a school in the nation's capital, demanding accountability, compensation for victims' families and the halt of training flights. The death toll from the crash rose to 31 on Tuesday, including at least 25 students, a teacher who died from burn injuries she sustained while helping others get out of the burning building, and the pilot of the training aircraft. Firefighters further secured the site in Dhaka's densely populated Uttara neighbourhood while the military launched an investigation. The country's civil aviation authority was not involved in the investigation directly. Bangladesh declared Tuesday a day of national mourning, with the flags flying at half-staff across the country. Monday's crash at the Milestone School and College caused a fire that gutted the two-story school building. Officials said 171 people, mostly students and many with burns, were rescued and carried away in helicopters, ambulances, motorized rickshaws and in the arms of firefighters and parents. The protesting students demanded 'accurate' publication of identities of the dead and injured, compensation for their families, and an immediate halt to the use of 'outdated and unsafe' training aircraft by the Bangladesh air force. They chanted slogans and accused security officials of beating them and manhandling teachers on Monday. The students became furious after two senior government advisers arrived at the scene, forcing them to take cover for six hours inside the school campus before additional security forces arrived and escorted them out. Elsewhere in Dhaka, scores of students were injured after police charged them with batons. The students earlier broke through security barricades and entered the Bangladesh Secretariat complex, the country's administrative headquarters, and security officials used stun grenades and tear gas to disperse them. They demanded the resignation of the education adviser who, they said, delayed announcing that public exams were being cancelled during Tuesday's mourning. 'Yesterday, when the plane was approaching, the sound was so loud you can't even imagine – it felt like eardrums were about to burst. Within five seconds, the plane crashed right in front of me here,' Smriti, a student who only gave one name, said outside her school. 'Suddenly, I saw flames rising fiercely upward from the building,' the 11th grader said. 'When I got here, I saw some children lying with their limbs spread out, some of their lifeless bodies scattered around. Can you save them? Tell me, will they ever be able to return to their parents' arms again,' she asked. On Tuesday, 78 people, mostly students, remained hospitalized, said Sayeedur Rahman, a special assistant to Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus. Twenty deaths were reported initially, and seven died of their injuries overnight, authorities said. Another four deaths were reported later Monday, the military said. Maherin Chowdhury, a teacher who rescued more than 20 students from the burning school, died from severe burn injuries, her colleague Tanzina Tanu said. Doctors said late Monday that the condition of about two dozen injured remained critical. A blood donation camp has been opened at a specialized burn hospital where most of the injured were being treated. Twenty bodies have been handed over to their families, with some of them possibly needing DNA matching after they were charred beyond recognition. Many relatives waited overnight at a specialized burn hospital for the bodies of their loved ones. The Chinese-made F-7 BGI training aircraft experienced a 'technical malfunction' moments after takeoff from the A.K. Khandaker air force base at 1:06 p.m. Monday, according to a statement from the military. The pilot, Flight Lt. Mohammed Toukir Islam, made 'every effort to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas toward a more sparsely inhabited location,' the military said, adding that it would investigate the cause of the crash. The Milestone school, about an 11-kilometre (7-mile) drive from the air force base, is in a densely populated area near a metro station and numerous shops and homes. It was the pilot's first solo flight as he was completing his training course. It remained unclear if he managed to eject before the jet hit the building. The first funeral prayers were held for the pilot in Dhaka on Tuesday morning and second prayers will be held in southwestern Rajshahi district where his parents live. It is the deadliest plane crash in the Bangladeshi capital in recent memory. In 2008, another F-7 training jet crashed outside Dhaka, killing its pilot, who had ejected after he discovered a technical problem.
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Bangladesh mourns 31 dead in jet crash as students protest to demand accountability
Students shout slogans during a protest near the site of the Monday crash of a Bangladesh air force training jet into a school, demanding accountability, compensation for victims' families and the halt of training flights, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/ Mehedi Hasan) DHAKA, Bangladesh — Hundreds of students protested near the site of the crash of a Bangladesh air force training jet into a school in the nation's capital, demanding accountability, compensation for victims' families and the halt of training flights. The death toll from the crash rose to 31 on Tuesday, including at least 25 students, a teacher who died from burn injuries she sustained while helping others get out of the burning building, and the pilot of the training aircraft. Firefighters further secured the site in Dhaka's densely populated Uttara neighborhood while the military launched an investigation. The country's civil aviation authority was not involved in the investigation directly. Bangladesh declared Tuesday a day of national mourning, with the flags flying at half-staff across the country. Monday's crash at the Milestone School and College caused a fire that gutted the two-story school building. Officials said 171 people, mostly students and many with burns, were rescued and carried away in helicopters, ambulances, motorized rickshaws and in the arms of firefighters and parents. The protesting students demanded 'accurate' publication of identities of the dead and injured, compensation for their families, and an immediate halt to the use of 'outdated and unsafe' training aircraft by the Bangladesh air force. They chanted slogans and accused security officials of beating them and manhandling teachers on Monday. The students became furious after two senior government advisers arrived at the scene, forcing them to take cover. Elsewhere in Dhaka, hundreds of other students marched toward the country's administrative headquarters, demanding the resignation of the education adviser who, they said, delayed announcing that public exams were being canceled during Tuesday's mourning. Many say they're haunted by the tragedy 'Yesterday, when the plane was approaching, the sound was so loud you can't even imagine — it felt like eardrums were about to burst. Within five seconds, the plane crashed right in front of me here,' Smriti, a student who only gave one name, said outside her school. 'Suddenly, I saw flames rising fiercely upward from the building,' the 11th grader said. 'When I got here, I saw some children lying with their limbs spread out, some of their lifeless bodies scattered around. Can you save them? Tell me, will they ever be able to return to their parents' arms again,' she asked. On Tuesday, 78 people, mostly students, remained hospitalized, said Sayeedur Rahman, a special assistant to Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus. Twenty deaths were reported initially, and seven died of their injuries overnight, authorities said. Another four deaths were reported later Monday, the military said. Maherin Chowdhury, a teacher who rescued more than 20 students from the burning school, died from severe burn injuries, her colleague Tanzina Tanu said. Doctors said late Monday that the condition of about two dozen injured remained critical. A blood donation camp has been opened at a specialized burn hospital where most of the injured were being treated. Twenty bodies have been handed over to their families, with some of them possibly needing DNA matching after they were charred beyond recognition. Many relatives waited overnight at a specialized burn hospital for the bodies of their loved ones. The plane reported a malfunction The Chinese-made F-7 BGI training aircraft experienced a 'technical malfunction' moments after takeoff from the A.K. Khandaker air force base at 1:06 p.m. Monday, according to a statement from the military. The pilot, Flight Lt. Mohammed Toukir Islam, made 'every effort to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas toward a more sparsely inhabited location,' the military said, adding that it would investigate the cause of the crash. The Milestone school, about an 11-kilometer (7-mile) drive from the air force base, is in a densely populated area near a metro station and numerous shops and homes. It was the pilot's first solo flight as he was completing his training course. It remained unclear if he managed to eject before the jet hit the building. The first funeral prayers were held for the pilot in Dhaka on Tuesday morning and second prayers will be held in southwestern Rajshahi district where his parents live. It is the deadliest plane crash in the Bangladeshi capital in recent memory. In 2008, another F-7 training jet crashed outside Dhaka, killing its pilot, who had ejected after he discovered a technical problem. ——— Associated Press video journalist Al-emrun Garjon contributed to the report. Julhas Alam, The Associated Press
CBC
a day ago
- Politics
- CBC
Angry students confront Bangladesh officials as plane crash death toll rises to 31
Hundreds of students protested near the site of the crash of a Bangladesh air force training jet into a school in the nation's capital, demanding accountability, compensation for victims' families and the halt of training flights. The death toll from the crash rose to 31 on Tuesday, including 25 students, a teacher who died from burn injuries she sustained while helping others get out of the burning building, and the pilot of the training aircraft. Firefighters further secured the scene of the crash in Dhaka's densely populated Uttara neighbourhood while an investigation by the military was ongoing. The country's civil aviation authority was not involved in the investigation directly. Bangladesh marked Tuesday as a national day of mourning, with the national flag flying at half-staff across the country. The crash at the Milestone School and College in Dhaka caused a fire that left the two-storey school building in flames. Officials said 171 people, mostly students and many with burns, were rescued and taken from the scene in helicopters, ambulances, motorized rickshaws and in the arms of firefighters and parents. The students protesting outside the crash site demanded "accurate" publication of identities of the dead and injured, compensation for the families, and an immediate halt to the use of "outdated and unsafe" training aircraft by the Bangladesh air force. They chanted slogans and accused security officials of beating them and manhandling teachers on Monday. The students also became furious after two senior government advisers arrived at the scene, forcing the officials to take cover. On Tuesday, 78 people, mostly students, remained hospitalized, said Sayeedur Rahman, a special assistant to Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus. Doctors said late Monday that the condition of about two dozen injured remained critical. A blood donation camp has been opened at a specialized burn hospital where most of the injured were being treated. Twenty bodies have been handed over to their families, with some of them possibly needing DNA matching after they were charred beyond recognition. Many relatives waited overnight at a specialized burn hospital for the bodies of their loved ones. Maherin Chowdhury, a teacher who rescued more than 20 students from the burning school, died from severe burn injuries, her colleague Tanzina Tanu said. Pilot's first solo flight The Chinese-made F-7 BGI training aircraft experienced a "technical malfunction" moments after takeoff from the A.K. Khandaker air force base at 1:06 p.m. Monday, according to a statement from the military. The pilot, Flight Lt. Mohammed Toukir Islam, made "every effort to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas toward a more sparsely inhabited location," the military said, adding that it would investigate the cause of the crash. The Milestone school, about an 11-kilometre drive from the air force base, is in a densely populated area near a metro station and numerous shops and homes. It was the pilot's first solo flight as he was completing his training course. It remained unclear if he managed to eject before the jet hit the building. The first funeral prayers were held for the pilot in Dhaka on Tuesday morning and second prayers will be held in southwestern Rajshahi district where his parents live. It is the deadliest plane crash in the Bangladeshi capital in recent memory. In 2008, another F-7 training jet crashed outside Dhaka, killing its pilot, who had ejected after he discovered a technical problem.
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Grief and anger in Bangladesh as death toll from military training jet's crash into school hits 31
Dhaka, Bangladesh — Hundreds of students protested near the site of the crash of a Bangladesh air force training jet into a school in the nation's capital, demanding accountability, compensation for victims' families and the halt of training flights. The death toll from the crash rose to 31 on Tuesday, including 25 students, a teacher who died from burn injuries she sustained while helping others get out of the burning building, and the pilot of the training aircraft. Firefighters further secured the scene of the crash in Dhaka's densely-populated Uttara neighborhood while an investigation by the military was ongoing. The country's civil aviation authority was not involved in the investigation directly. Bangladesh, in shock after the crash involving its air force, marked Tuesday as a national day of mourning, with the national flag flying at half-staff across the country. Monday's crash at the Milestone School and College caused a fire that left the two-story school building in Dhaka in flames. Officials said 171 people, mostly students and many with burns, were rescued and taken from the scene in helicopters, ambulances, motorized rickshaws and in the arms of firefighters and parents. On Tuesday, 78 people, mostly students, remained hospitalized, said Sayeedur Rahman, a special assistant to Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus. Twenty deaths were reported initially, and seven died of their injuries overnight, authorities said. Maherin Chowdhury, a teacher who rescued more than 20 students from the burning school, died from severe burn injuries, her colleague Tanzina Tanu said. Doctors said late Monday that the condition of about two dozen injured remained critical. A blood donation camp has been opened at a specialized burn hospital where most of the injured were being treated. Twenty bodies have been handed over to their families, with some of them possibly needing DNA matching after they were charred beyond recognition. Many relatives waited overnight at a specialized burn hospital for the bodies of their loved ones. The school offers classes for about 2,000 students, from elementary level to the 12th grade. The students protesting outside the crash site at the Milestone School and College Tuesday demanded "accurate" publication of identities of the dead and injured, compensation for the families, and an immediate halt to the use of "outdated and unsafe" training aircraft by the Bangladesh air force. They chanted slogans and accused security officials of beating them and manhandling teachers on Monday. The students later became furious after two senior government advisers arrived at the scene, forcing the officials to take cover. The Chinese-made F-7 BGI training aircraft experienced a "technical malfunction" moments after takeoff from the A.K. Khandaker air force base at 1:06 p.m. Monday, according to a statement from the military. The pilot, Flight Lt. Mohammed Toukir Islam, made "every effort to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas toward a more sparsely inhabited location," the military said, adding that it would investigate the cause of the crash. The Milestone school, about a seven mile drive from the air force base, is in a densely populated area near a metro station and numerous shops and homes. It was the pilot's first solo flight as he was completing his training course. It remained unclear if he managed to eject before the jet hit the building. The first funeral prayers were held for the pilot in Dhaka on Tuesday morning and second prayers will be held in southwestern Rajshahi district where his parents live. It is the deadliest plane crash in the Bangladeshi capital in recent memory. In 2008, another F-7 training jet crashed outside Dhaka, killing its pilot, who had ejected after he discovered a technical problem.
