Fighter jet crashed on a school campus

At least 31 people, mostly children, were killed and more than 150 others injured when a Bangladesh Air Force fighter jet crashed into the Milestone School and College campus in Uttara, the capital.

Firefighters work to remove debris from a building after an Air Force fighter jet crashed on the Milestone College campus in Dhaka on Monday (July 21). Photo: Reuters

International Desk

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 On Monday (July 21), the plane crashed into a building at Milestone School and College in Uttara. The plane and the school building started burning right away. The building where it crashed was home to many school-level students.

Let's take a look at how this terrible accident happened.

Bangladesh's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the aircraft took off from the Kurmitola Air Force Base in Dhaka at 1:06 pm local time as part of a routine training exercise. But shortly after, the plane developed a mechanical failure and crashed into the school building.

The ISPR said that the pilot of the aircraft made every effort to divert the aircraft from a densely populated area to a sparsely populated area to avoid the accident and major damage. However, his efforts failed and the fighter jet crashed.

Where did the plane crash?

The two-story building of Milestone School and College in the Diabari area of Uttara, Dhaka, collapsed. The college is located about 10 kilometers (six miles) from the air force base.

Photos from the scene show the wreckage of the plane lying next to the building. The crash broke the building's iron grille and left a hole in the building.

How many people were killed?

On Tuesday, the ISPR reported that 31 people died and 165 were hurt when a Bangladesh Air Force fighter jet crashed into the Milestone School and College building by 12 noon. The dead include the jet's pilot, Md. Taukir Islam Sagar. More than 100 children are among the injured.

What model was the crashed plane?

According to the Jane's Information Group, the crashed aircraft was a Chinese-made F-7 BGI fighter jet. According to information from the US-based military equipment website GlobalSecurity.com, the manufacturer of the F-7 BGI model aircraft is the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation of China. It is a cheap, single-engine, two-seat plane used to train fighter pilots. The FT-7 BGI is used to train pilots for the original F-7.

A contract was signed with China for 16 fighter jets for Bangladesh in 2011. The delivery of these aircraft was completed by 2013.

What is the government saying?

The Air Force has formed a high-level investigation committee to investigate the cause of the F-7 BGI training aircraft crash. Bangladesh's interim government head Muhammad Yunus has also pledged to "take all necessary measures" to investigate the cause of the crash. Meanwhile, the government said it was providing "all kinds of assistance" to the victims.

Source: Reuters