Bangladesh fighter jet crash: What we know so far

At least 19 people were killed as a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed on a college and school campus in the capital city of Dhaka on Monday (July 21).

The incident occurred at the Milestone School and College in Dhaka's northern area of Uttara. Videos of the aftermath of the crash showed a large fire and heavy smoke.

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What we know so far

Aircraft: Air Force F7 jet

Aircraft type: The F-7 BJI fighter jet

Pilot: Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam Sagar

Flying experience: 160 hours

Site of crash: The aircraft took off at 1.06 pm and crashed around 1.30 pm, inside Milestone school and college in Uttara.

Departure time: 12.36 pm IST (1.06 pm Bangladesh time)

Incident: The plane that crashed was an F-7BGI, an advanced version of the Chinese J-7 fighter, which went down on the premises of Milestone School and College while students were present on campus. The aircraft took off for a routine training mission at 1.06 pm (Bangladesh time) but crashed shortly afterwards.

Current status: Emergency responders rushed to the scene, and firefighters were seen dousing the flames on the wreckage of the jet, which smashed into a building, leaving a gaping hole and twisted metal behind.

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Casualties: At least 19 people have been killed in the crash.

Injured: At least 164 have been injured; several students and teachers of the Milestone School and College were injured in the crash.

Eyewitness account: Eyewitnesses say students were lining up to leave the school just as the final bell rang when the plane crashed. An eyewitness told Daily Star that around 1.15 pm (Bangladesh time), the jet hit the ground floor of a two-storey building where classes for the primary section were in progress.

A teacher who escaped the crash told Daily Star that rescue efforts began within minutes, but the fire spread in mere seconds. By the time they could understand what was happening, it was too late. Many of the students and staff inside were completely trapped in the smoke, he recalled.

State mourning day: The Bangladesh government has declared state mourning on Tuesday (July 22) following the crash. The national flag will fly at half-mast at all government, semi-government, autonomous institutions, and educational establishments across the country.

Muhammad Yunus's condolence message: "I express my deep grief and sorrow over the tragic incident of casualties caused by the crash of a Bangladesh Air Force F-7 BJI training aircraft at the Milestone School and College campus," Yunus said in a post on X. He assured that the government would take the necessary measures to investigate the cause of the accident and ensure all forms of assistance.

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Investigation: A high-level investigation committee has already been formed by the Bangladesh Air Force to determine the cause of the accident, an ISPR ( Inter Services Public Relations) release stated.

Cause of crash: According to a press release issued by the ISPR, the pilot tried to steer the FT-7 BGI fighter aircraft away from densely populated areas and towards a sparsely inhabited zone.

However, despite his efforts, the aircraft tragically crashed into a two-storey building of Milestone School and College in the Diabari area of Dhaka.

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