Bangladesh Air Force Trainer Crashes Into Dhaka School, Killing 27 and Injuring Scores

Hadisur Rahman, JadeTimes Staff

H. Rahman is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Asia

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Image Source: AP Photo

A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into a crowded school in the capital on Monday afternoon, killing at least 27 people including the pilot and many students and injuring scores more in one of Dhaka’s deadliest air disasters in recent memory.

The Chinese‑made F‑7 BGI jet went down shortly after taking off from A.K. Khandaker Air Force Base at 1:06 p.m., slamming into the campus of Milestone School and College in the densely populated Uttara neighborhood, about 11 kilometers (seven miles) from the base.

The impact and ensuing fire left the two‑story school building smoldering as emergency crews raced to rescue survivors. Officials said 171 people most of them students were evacuated and rushed to hospitals by ambulance, helicopter, and even on rickshaws or carried by hand.

Authorities initially reported 20 deaths. By early Tuesday morning, seven more succumbed to their injuries, bringing the total to 27. Doctors warned that the condition of at least two dozen others remains critical.

Twenty bodies have already been handed over to grieving families, while some victims were so badly burned that DNA testing may be needed for identification. A blood donation drive has been launched at the country’s main burn hospital in Dhaka. “We could not find my cousin. She is missing,” said Mohammed Abdur Rahim, searching frantically for 14‑year‑old Afia Akter late Monday. “Doctors here have asked us to go to other hospitals.”

The military said the aircraft experienced a “technical malfunction” soon after takeoff. Flight Lt. Mohammed Toukir Islam, on what local media described as his first solo flight, attempted to steer the jet toward a less populated zone.

It remains unclear whether the pilot died inside the cockpit or after ejecting. The Air Force said a formal investigation is underway. “Our pilot made every effort to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas toward a more sparsely inhabited location,” the military statement said.

Students described a violent tremor followed by a massive explosion. Flames engulfed part of the building as children screamed and teachers tried to lead them out. Witnesses said parents rushed in to search for their children. A father was seen sprinting from the wreckage, cradling his injured daughter in his arms. “The plane crashed on the building where my daughter was,” said Jewel, a parent who uses one name. “When I arrived, I saw a huge fire. There was a dead body of a child. Luckily, my daughter survived, but many others were burned.”

Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, declared a day of national mourning Tuesday, with flags to fly at half‑staff.

“This is a heartbreaking accident a moment of deep national grief,” Yunus said in a statement.

By late Monday, cranes and heavy machinery were still clearing debris as rescuers searched for victims. Hospitals across Dhaka treated dozens of burn cases, many involving students aged 12 to 16.

Estiak Elahi Khan, an 11th grader, described pushing through crowds to glimpse the devastation: “What I saw I can’t describe. That’s terrible.”

The Milestone school, with about 2,000 students from primary through high school, sits near a busy metro station lined with shops and homes making the pilot’s attempt to divert the aircraft all the more critical.

For now, grieving families wait for answers, while fire crews continue sifting through wreckage in what officials call the capital’s deadliest aviation tragedy in years.