A freak accident involving a Bangladesh Air Force jet crashing into a school in the nation's capital, Dhaka, killed at least 20 people, including students, and injured hundreds of others.
Following the incident, video footage from Milestone School and College in the suburb of Uttara showed a massive fire and thick smoke. In a statement on Facebook, the armed forces said that the F-7 jet suffered from a mechanical fault after take-off.
Bangladesh Air Force Jet Crashes Into School
The airplane was originally due for a training exercise just after 13:00 local time on Monday before the unexpected failure. The pilot of the jet was also among the fatal victims of the tragic crash.
A doctor at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery added that more than 50 people were transferred to the hospital with burns, many of whom were in critical condition. Many of the victims were students who had just gotten out, according to BBC.
In a statement, Rezaul Islam, a teacher at the college, said that he saw the jet "directly" hit the building. Another teacher at the college, Masud Tarik, said that he heard an explosion, adding that when he looked to check, he only saw fire and smoke.
A Year 10 student from the school said that they had just left the building after finishing an exam when they saw the jet crash into the building. He added that his best friend was among the people who died.
Later on, students joined the rescue effort while residents lined up to donate blood as police officers, military personnel, fire officials, and emergency workers worked to contain the massive crowds that formed around the school, the New York Times reported.
At Least 20 People Dead and Hundreds of Others Injured
Talking to reporters, Brig. Gen. Muhammad Jahed Kamal, who is the director of Bangladesh's national fire department, said the jet crashed into the second floor of a school building where third and fourth graders were.
An initial report released by the armed forces said that the pilot of the air force jet tried to maneuver the aircraft to a less populated area when it suffered a mechanical failure. After the incident, 20 bodies were handed over to their families, as some of the charred bodies were beyond recognition.
A lot of relatives of the victims waited overnight at a specialized burn hospital for the bodies of their loved ones. Mohammed Abdur Rahim was looking for his cousin, Afia Akter, at around midnight, as doctors told them to look in other hospitals, as per the Associated Press.
