Bangladesh Plane Crush – An MF-7 BGI Denar aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into the Milestone School an College campus in Diabari area of the capital Dhaka on Monday afternoon.
Director General of Fire Services and Civil Security Department, Lieutenant General Mohammad Zaheed Kamal, said that at least 20 people were killed in the accident, while 164 people were injured.
The injured were admitted to various medical institutions including National Burn and Pulmonary Surgery Institute located near Dhaka Medical College, Kamintola Hospital, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Combined Military Hospital and Uttara Modern Hospital.
“We are deeply saddened by this incident. The government has already declared Tuesday as a day of mourning. Along with this, we will also investigate how the plane crash happened,” said government legal advisor Officer Asif Njarkal.
Rezaul Dirlam, a lecturer at Tilton College, told BBC Barnala that the incident happened just as school was about to close.
He said, “A fighter plane hit the building directly. It crushed several cars in the front and lower sections. The main gate of the building was completely destroyed and caught fire.”
Another student, Masood Tariq, told news agency Reuters he heard an explosion. “When I looked back, I saw only fire and smoke. There were many parents and strangers there.”
Kachhaj said he saw the plane hit the building with his own eyes. Bangladesh Fire Brigade said on social media that it had nine units and six ambulances at the scene.
Pictures from the scene show several emergency service workers looking for survivors amid the rubble. In one shot, firefighters can be seen carrying a body out of the building.
Many common people were also standing on the roofs of nearby buildings and watching the incident.
The plane developed a technical snag after takeoff: ISPR
A few hours after the incident, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued an official statement. According to the statement, “The flight developed a technical fault shortly after take-off. Detailed information will be shared after the investigation is completed.”
According to the ISPR, the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Mohammad Tauqeer Islam, made every effort to divert the aircraft from the densely populated Jhaj to a less populated area to avoid collision and major damage.
But unfortunately the plane collided with the two-storey building of Milestone School and College located in Diyabari area of Dhaka. The pilot also died in the accident.
The statement said that Bangladesh Air Force is deeply saddened by this tragedy and is actively engaged in providing proper medical treatment and all possible assistance to the victims.
Currently, teams of Army, Air Force, Police, RAB and Fire Services are engaged in relief and rescue operations at the spot and every possible effort is being made to normalise the situation.
The Air Force has formed a high-level committee to investigate the accident, which will objectively examine the causes of the accident.
Mohammad Yunus, chief adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government, said “strict steps” would be taken to investigate the cause of the incident and “all possible assistance would be provided”.
He said, “This is a deeply saddening incident for the nation. I wish the injured a speedy recovery and direct all authorities, including the concerned hospitals, to handle the situation with utmost priority.”
The Bangladesh government has declared Tuesday a national day of mourning, due to which the national flag will fly at half-mast across the country.
How much do you know about the crashed plane?
Former Bangladesh Air Force officer, retired Air Commodore Ishfaq Ilahi Chowdhury, told BBC Barnala that the accident-hit plane may have been a training version of an F-7 fighter jet.
He said the aircraft is manufactured in China and the Bangladesh Air Force has been using various versions of the F-7 for nearly three decades.
Relatives searching for their loved ones in hospitals
Many relatives came to the hospital with pictures of their children. Some people had come to this hospital to see their family members,
As soon as the news of the accident was received, the relatives of the injured started reaching the hospital and were seen running here and there in panic. Many local people came from Khekchha to donate blood. Some even took part in the rescue operations.