At least 19 killed as Bangladesh air force plane crashes at college campus
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DHAKA – At least 19 people were killed and 164 injured as a Bangladeshi air force training aircraft crashed at a college campus in the capital city of Dhaka on July 21 after experiencing a technical problem shortly after take-off, a military spokesman said.
The F-7 BGI training aircraft took off at 1.06pm (3.06pm Singapore time) from the Bangladesh Air Force base in Kurmitola, Dhaka, as part of a routine training mission, but encountered a mechanical failure, said the spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury.
“The pilot... made a valiant attempt to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas. Despite his best efforts, the aircraft... crashed into a two-storey building belonging to Milestone School and College,” he said.
The pilot was among those killed in the incident, the military said, adding that a committee had been formed to investigate its cause.
At least 51 people, mostly students, were undergoing treatment at Dhaka’s National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, its director said.
The F-7 BGI is the final and most advanced variant in China’s Chengdu J-7/F-7 aircraft family, according to Jane’s Information Group. Bangladesh signed a contract for 16 aircraft in 2011, and deliveries were completed by 2013.
The Chengdu F-7 is the licence-built version of the Soviet MiG-21.
Fire, despair
Videos of the aftermath of the crash showed a big fire near a lawn emitting a thick plume of smoke into the sky, as crowds watched from a distance.
Firefighters sprayed water on the mangled remains of the plane, which appeared to have rammed into the side of a building, damaging iron grills and creating a gaping hole in the structure, Reuters TV visuals showed.
“A third-grade student was brought in dead, and three others, aged 12, 14 and 40, were admitted to the hospital,” said Dr Bidhan Sarker, head of the burn unit at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, where some victims were taken.
Visuals also showed people screaming and crying as others tried to comfort them.
“When I was picking (up) my kids and went to the gate, I realised something came from behind... I heard an explosion. When I looked back, I saw only fire and smoke,” said Mr Masud Tarik, a teacher at the school.
The aircraft crashed moments after students were let out of class at the Milestone School and College.
A witness said he heard a huge blast that felt like an earthquake.
“We have two playgrounds, one for the senior students and one for the juniors,” said 18-year-old Shafiur Rahman Shafi, who is enrolled at the school.
“We were on the playground for the seniors. There were two fighter planes... Suddenly, one of the two planes crashed here (at the junior playground),” he told AFP.
“It created a boom, and it felt like a quake. Then it caught fire, and the army reached the spot later.”
The interim government of Dr Muhammad Yunus announced a day of national mourning on July 22.
The incident comes a little over a month after an Air India plane crashed on top of a medical college hostel
