At least 20 killed & over 160 injured after Bangladesh air force jet crashes into college campus

A Bangladeshi air force jet crashed into a school campus in the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, killing at least 20 people on Jul. 21.

According to The Washington Post, more than 160 were injured and at least 43 of those injured were below 18 years of age.

Most of the victims were students at the Milestone School and College in Uttara, Dhaka.

"Technical malfunction"

BBC reported that the F-7 BGI fighter jet had crashed due to a "technical malfunction" shortly after taking off at 1:06pm local time.

The jet was on a routine training mission and investigations are currently ongoing to determine the cause of the mechanical fault.

A statement by the armed forces said that the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Md. Taukir Islam, had tried to navigate the jet to a less populated area after the mechanical fault occurred.

Despite his efforts, the jet ultimately crashed into a two-storey building belonging to Milestone School and College.

The pilot was among those who died in the crash.

One of the students at the college told The Washington Post that the jet had crashed into the building "where Grades One to Eight were located".

It had hit the "Grade Four and Grade Six classrooms" and at least "35 to 40 students were present" in each of the classrooms.

Police and military responders arrived on the scene

Images from the aftermath of the scene captured firefighters trying to douse the charred wreckage of what appeared to be the aircraft engine with water.

Dozens of emergency responders could also be seen sorting through the rubble in a desperate search for survivors.

Large crowds had also gathered nearby, with some even climbing onto the surrounding rooftops to watch the rescue efforts.

"Only saw fire and smoke"

A teacher, Masud Tarik, told Reuters that he had picked up his kids and walked to the gate when he heard an explosion. When he turned back to look, "[he] only saw fire and smoke".

A Year 10 student, who had just left the building after finishing an exam, told BBC that he saw the jet hit the building "right in front of [his] eyes" and his best friend had died in front of him.

An on-duty doctor at Uttara Adhunik Medical College Hospital stated that most of the victims who were injured were aged between 10 and 15-years-old, and many of them suffered from jet fuel burns.

Leader of Bangladesh's interim government made a statement on X

In a post on X on Jul. 21, Muhammad Yunus, the leader of Bangladesh's interim government, said that "the government will take necessary measures to investigate the cause of the accident and ensure all forms of assistance".

He also prayed for the swift recovery for the injured and "[directed] all concerned authorities, including hospitals, to address the situation with the utmost priority".

Fighter jet came from China

According to Reuters, the F-7 BGI is the final and most advanced variant in China's Chengdu J-7/F-7 aircraft family, and Bangladesh had previously signed a contract for 16 aircrafts, which were delivered by 2013.

The Chengdu F-7 is the licence-built version of the Soviet MIG-21.

According to the armed forces statement, as reported in BBC, an investigation committee has been formed to look into the incident.

Top photo via All India Radio News/Facebook