Bangladesh Air Force Jet Crash: Death Toll Rises to At Least 27, Including 25 Children

A day after a Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into the Milestone School and College campus in Dhaka on Monday afternoon, the death toll has risen to least 27 people, Reuters reported. According to a Dhaka Tribune report published Tuesday, 25 children, a pilot, and a female teacher are among the victims of the fatal crash.

Tragedy Strikes Dhaka School Campus

According to Reuters report, the F-7 BGI fighter jet took off at 1:06 p.m. from Kurmitola Air Base for a routine training flight but crashed just 12 minutes later, hitting a two-storey school building in the Uttara area of Dhaka. The Bangladesh military has said the crash resulted from a mechanical failure.

At Least 88 Injured Rushed to Hospitals

Local authorities, meanwhile, said 88 people, many of them children, were injured and admitted to hospitals with burn injuries, as reported by Reuters. At least five of those injured reportedly remain in critical condition.

During a briefing at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery on Tuesday morning, Dr. Sayedur Rahman, Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant on Health, said, “Among the deceased, 25 are children — many under the age of 12 — with extensive burn injuries. The other two victims include the aircraft’s pilot and a female schoolteacher,” according to The Daily Star.

So far, 20 bodies have been handed over to families. 

Dr. Rahman appealed for calm, urging people not to crowd the hospital. “We have enough blood donors, though some negative blood types may be needed,” he reportedly said.

With relatives of victims flooding the hospitals, the army has been deployed to tighten security.

Government Declares Day of Mourning

Meanwhile, the country’s interim government, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, declared a day of mourning, with flags flying at half-mast and special prayers held across places of worship.

The Bangladesh military has formed a committee to investigate the cause of the crash.

The F-7 BGI jet is the most advanced version of China’s Chengdu J-7/F-7 aircraft family, Reuters reported, citing Jane’s Information Group.

Bangladesh reportedly received 16 of these jets between 2011 and 2013.

Monday’s jet crash in Bangladesh comes just weeks after a major aviation disaster in India, when an Air India plane crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad, killing 241 people onboard and 19 on the ground.

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