At Least 27 Dead, Most of Them Children, in Bangladesh Air Force Jet Crash

Reuters

Members of Bangladesh Airforce investigate on the site, after an air force training aircraft crashed

At least 27 people, including 25 children, were killed when a Bangladesh Air Force jet crashed into a college and school campus in Dhaka during a training mission, officials confirmed on Tuesday. Another 88 people are being treated in hospital, many with severe burn injuries.

The F-7 BGI fighter jet took off from Kurmitola Airbase at 1:06 p.m. local time (0706 GMT) on Monday but suffered a mechanical failure shortly after takeoff. The aircraft went down in a densely populated academic area, igniting a devastating fire in several buildings.

Disturbing visuals showed charred classrooms as rescue workers combed through the wreckage, while grieving family members gathered at the scene.

Reuters quoted Sayedur Rahman, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Health, as saying the victims included 25 schoolchildren, a teacher, and the pilot. Hospitals across the city are treating dozens of others for burn-related injuries.

The government has declared a national day of mourning, ordering flags to be flown at half-mast and special prayers to be held in places of worship.

The F-7 BGI is the most advanced variant of China’s Chengdu J-7 series. Bangladesh acquired 16 of the aircraft in a 2011 deal, with final deliveries completed in 2013.

The tragedy comes just weeks after neighbouring India witnessed one of the world’s deadliest aviation disasters in a decade, when an Air India jet crashed into a student hostel in Ahmedabad, killing 241 passengers and 19 people on the ground.




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