At least 19 people were killed and 164 injured as a Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into a college and school campus in the capital Dhaka on Monday after experiencing a technical problem, a military spokesperson said.
The F-7 BGI jet took off at 1:06 pm from the Bangladesh Air Force base in Kurmitola, Dhaka, as part of a routine training mission, but encountered a mechanical failure, said the spokesperson, Lt Col Samiud Dowla Chowdhury.
"The pilot ... made a valiant attempt to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas. Despite his best efforts, the aircraft ... crashed into a two-storey building belonging to Milestone School and College," he said. The pilot was among those killed in the incident.
Videos of the aftermath of the crash showed a big fire near a lawn emitting a thick plume of smoke into the sky, as crowds watched from a distance. Images from the scene also showed people screaming and crying as others tried to comfort them.
Firefighters sprayed water on the mangled remains of the plane, which appeared to have rammed into the side of a building, damaging iron grills and creating a gaping hole in the structure.
"A third-grade student was brought in dead, and three others, aged 12, 14 and 40, were admitted to the hospital," said Bidhan Sarker, head of the burn unit at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, where some victims were taken.
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