A China-made F-7 training jet of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into a school in Dhaka, killing 20 people and injuring 171 others. A one-day state mourning was declared on Tuesday.
At least 20 people were killed and 171 others injured after a training aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into a school building in Dhaka on Monday. The China-made F-7 jet crashed into the Milestone School and College building in Dhaka’s Uttara area.
The crash happened when classes were underway. Television footage showed fire and plumes of black smoke billowing from the site of the crash as rescue personnel rushed to carry the injured to six hospitals.
“Bangladesh Air Force’s F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed in Uttara. The aircraft took off at 13:06 (0706 GMT),” the military’s public relations department said in a statement.
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, Reuters reported. Dr Md Sayedur Rahman, Special Assistant Professor for Health to the Chief Advisor, said 48 people were in critical condition.
Visuals showed students, some of them with burn injuries and bleeding profusely, running helter-skelter amid chaos.
“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.
With ambulances not readily available, eyewitnesses said Army personnel rescued the injured students in their arms and took them to hospitals in rickshaw vans and other vehicles.
“To deal with the accident and avoid major damage, the pilot of the aircraft, Flight Lieutenant Md Taukir Islam, made every effort to take the aircraft from a densely populated area to a sparsely populated area. But unfortunately, the aircraft crashed in a two-story building of Milestone School and College in Diabari, Dhaka,” Bangladesh’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
“All the injured are being quickly shifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) and nearby hospitals with the help of Air Force helicopters and ambulances. Bangladesh Air Force is deeply shocked by the unfortunate accident and is actively providing all-round assistance to the injured including providing all-round treatment,” it added.
A high-level investigation committee of the Air Force was formed to find out the cause of the accident.
College teachers and staff carried out the initial rescue efforts before being joined by the army and fire department officials. A teacher said the plane crashed into the front side of a three-storey school building, trapping several students.
The Daily Star reported that over 30 people were admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. Others were taken to nearby hospitals.
MUHAMMAD YUNUS REACTS
Bangladesh chief adviser Muhammad Yunus said the government would investigate the cause of the accident and ensure all forms of assistance.
“The loss suffered by the Air Force, students, parents, teachers, and staff of Milestone School and College, as well as others, in this accident is irreparable. This is a moment of deep sorrow for the nation,” he said.
Yunus’s advisor Asif Nazrul said they were informed by medical authorities that all necessary preparations for medical treatment were completed. He said doctors would be brought from abroad to treat the injured if necessary.
“We will definitely investigate why the tragic accident happened. We have been informed by the Hospital Authority National Burn Unit that they have completed all the necessary preparations for medical treatment. If necessary, the doctors will take our students who are injured in the burn unit abroad. There will be no shortage in our medical rehabilitation,” Nazrul said.
“We have declared a national day of mourning tomorrow. The flag will be at half-mast and our chief advisor is getting updates. We will all stand by those who are injured and those who are in critical condition. We will take all measures for their treatment,” he added.
