A Bangladeshi military training jet crashed into a school compound in Dhaka on Monday, killing at least 19 people and injuring dozens more in what is being described as the country’s deadliest aviation disaster in decades.
Eyewitnesses reported scenes of chaos as flames engulfed parts of the Milestone School and College grounds. Emergency responders rushed the wounded — many of them students — to nearby hospitals, including the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, where 51 victims were receiving treatment.
Among the dead was the jet’s pilot, according to a statement from the military. The aircraft had been one of two conducting training exercises over the capital when the crash occurred.
“We were on the senior students’ playground when it happened,” said 18-year-old student Shafiur Rahman. “Suddenly, one of the jets plummeted into the junior playground. It was like an earthquake — then fire, and people screaming.”
Interim Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus declared Tuesday a day of national mourning and extended condolences to the victims’ families. “This is a moment of profound pain for the nation,” he said.
The 1984 Chattogram-Dhaka crash, which killed 49, had previously been the country’s worst aviation accident. Monday’s crash is now the deadliest since that tragedy.
The government has pledged a full investigation into the incident, which has raised serious concerns about aviation safety and military training protocols.
