At least 19 people, including several children, have been confirmed dead after a Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed into a primary school building inside the Milestone College campus in Uttara’s Diabari area on Monday afternoon, sparking a massive fire and widespread panic.
The crash occurred shortly after the aircraft took off at 1:06pm, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). Firefighters reached the scene within minutes, and nine fire units managed to bring the flames under control by 2:45pm. However, by then, the damage had already become devastating.
Brigadier General Md Jahed Kamal, Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defence, confirmed to reporters at the site that 19 bodies had been recovered from the school compound. Rescue operations are ongoing.
As of latest updates, at least 164 people have been admitted to seven hospitals across Dhaka with various degrees of injuries, including burns, according to ISPR. Among them, 48 are currently receiving treatment at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery (NIBPS), where eight are reportedly in critical condition.
Tragically, the pilot of the aircraft, Flight Lieutenant Md Towkir Islam, also succumbed to his injuries at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) despite managing to eject using a parachute. He had been admitted in critical condition.
Eyewitnesses described a horrifying scene as the aircraft first clipped Building No. 7 of the college and then crashed into the adjacent primary school building, which housed classrooms for students from playgroup to grade 5. The building also included a canteen. At the time of the crash, many students were leaving campus after their classes had ended.
“I saw the plane hit the college building and then the primary section. The pilot ejected, and moments later the building was in flames,” said Naimul Hasan Adit, a student of Milestone College.
Teachers and students rushed to help the injured, some of whom were carried in rickshaws and vans to nearby hospitals. Videos on social media showed army personnel evacuating severely burned students from the scene. A witness near Lubana General Hospital described a student carrying another burned classmate in his arms, frantically looking for help.
Medical professionals at the NIBPS confirmed that the flow of injured people is still ongoing. “Many have sustained critical burn injuries. We are doing our best to accommodate and treat them,” said Dr Abhijit, Director of NIBPS.
Personnel from the Fire Service, Bangladesh Army, police, and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) are actively working on the scene for rescue and recovery. Two BGB platoons have been deployed to maintain law and order.
Authorities have yet to confirm the exact number of students among the casualties, as rescue efforts continue and more information comes to light.
