What began as a normal school day in Dhaka ended in horror when a Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into a packed school campus on Monday, killing at least 18 people — including the pilot — and injuring at least 164 others, most of them students.
The Chinese-made F-7 BGI aircraft had just taken off when it came down hard onto Milestone School and College in the city’s Uttara neighborhood, exploding into flames as students sat in their classrooms.
The plane hit just minutes after takeoff around 1:06 p.m. local time. The military confirmed the jet caught fire upon impact. The cause of the crash hasn’t yet been identified, but authorities say an investigation is already underway.
In the immediate aftermath, scenes of heartbreak and chaos unfolded: panicked relatives flooded the school grounds and nearby hospitals, while rescuers and locals used rickshaws, vans, and even their arms to carry the injured.
This is the deadliest plane crash in Dhaka in recent memory, and it’s hitting the city hard. Many families are still waiting for updates, some clinging to hope outside emergency rooms.
Milestone School, usually filled with chatter and routine, is now cordoned off and silent — its classrooms charred, windows blown out, desks overturned.
As the city reels from the tragedy, questions are already being raised about flight paths over densely populated areas and how to better protect civilians from military training accidents.
With input from The AP News
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