The Bangladesh Air Force jet crashed into the Milestone College school campus on Monday, killing at least 20 people, including the pilot, and injuring 171
Students, teachers, and family members have been left shocked and grieving after a Bangladesh Air Force jet crashed into a school campus, resulting in at least 20 deaths.
Hasbya Rahman, a student at Milestone School and College in Uttara, Dhaka’s suburb, told the Bangladeshi news outlet The Business Standard (TBS) that she was in her classroom when the smoking aircraft suddenly hurtled toward the school.
“We saw the plane engulfed in flames as it came toward us, then it crashed right into the building,” Rahman said. Fortunately, she escaped without injury.
“The air was filled with smoke and screams,” she recalled, adding that teachers were desperately trying to evacuate young children, but many were trapped by the fire and smoke.
A spokesperson for Milestone School and College confirmed that the jet crashed near the school gates around 1:06 p.m. local time on Monday, July 21, according to the Times of India.
The Bangladesh Armed Forces reported that at least 20 people, including the pilot, died after the Air Force training jet crashed due to a “mechanical fault.” Another 171 people were injured. Masud Tarik, a teacher at the school, told Reuters that he noticed something was wrong when he was walking toward the school’s outdoor gate.
“When I was picking up my kids and reached the gate, I saw something coming from behind,” he said. “I heard an explosion. When I looked back, there was only fire and smoke.”
According to India Today, the plane hit the front of the three-story school building, trapping several students. The classrooms for children from playgroup through grades 1 to 5, as well as a canteen, were located in the area of impact, according to TBS.
CNN reported that Milestone School has students aged 4 to 18.
Footage from Bangladesh’s Channel 24 showed smoke rising from the building as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.
One family member told a local network that his sister, a grade four student, was injured in the crash. Another bystander described the victims arriving at the hospital with severe burns.
“We literally saw skin being torn off,” she said.
Teachers and school staff initially helped evacuate students before fire and army rescue teams arrived. Witnesses reported that army personnel carried injured students to vehicles and rushed them to hospitals, as ambulances were not immediately available, according to TBS and India Today.
Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh’s interim government, vowed that “necessary measures” would be taken to investigate the crash and provide all needed assistance, the BBC reported.
“This is a moment of deep sorrow for the nation. I wish the injured a speedy recovery and have instructed all relevant authorities, including hospitals, to treat this situation with utmost priority,” he said in a social media statement.
Bangladesh will observe a national day of mourning on Tuesday, July 22, with flags flown at half-mast.
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