July 21 (BBC/GNA) – At least 20people died and more than 170 wereinjured after a Bangladeshi air force training jet crashed into a school campus in the capital, Dhaka.
Footage from Milestone School and College in the suburb of Uttara showed a huge fire and thick smoke, after the aircraft slammed into a two-storey building.
The armed forces said in a statement on Facebook that the F-7 jet experienced a mechanical fault after taking off for a training exercise just after 13:00 local time (07:06 GMT) on Monday. The pilot was among those killed, the air force added.
More than 50 people were taken to hospital with burns, many in critical condition, a doctor at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery said.
Many of the victims were students who had just been let out of school when the plane crashed. Seventeen of the casualties were children, the health ministry said.
The age range for students attending the school is between four and 18 years old.
A teacher at the college, Rezaul Islam, told BBC Bangla that he saw the plane “directly” hit the building.
Another teacher, Masud Tarik, told Reuters that he heard an explosion: “When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke… There were many guardians and kids here.”
A year 10 student said he had just left the building after finishing an exam when he saw the plane hit the building “right in front of my eyes”. His best friend died in front of him, he said.
The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Md. Taukir Islam, had tried to navigate the jet to a less populated area after the mechanical fault occurred, the armed forces statement said. He had only just taken off from an air force base in the capital.
An investigation committee has been formed to look into the incident, the statement added.
GNA/Credit: BBC