At least 16 people have been killed after a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into the campus of Milestone School and College in the Uttara area of the capital, Dhaka.
The F-7 BGI jet, operated by the Bangladesh military, took off at 1:06pm local time before crashing shortly afterwards onto the college canteen’s roof while classes and exams were ongoing.
Footage from the scene showed flames and thick smoke rising from the site as hundreds looked on in shock. Emergency services rushed to the scene, with firefighters and volunteers working to rescue trapped victims and extinguish the blaze.
According to The Daily Star, over 100 people were injured in the incident, based on figures from multiple hospitals. Local media outlet Prothom Alo reported that many of the victims were students suffering from burn injuries.
A student, 16-year-old Rafiqa Taha, who was not on campus at the time, told the Associated Press: “I was terrified watching videos on TV. My God! It’s my school.”
The Bangladesh military’s public relations department confirmed the crash and said further investigations were underway to determine the cause of the tragedy.
Milestone School and College has a student population of around 2,000.
