A Bangladesh air force jet crashed into a school campus in the capital shortly after taking off on Monday, killing at least 19 people and injuring more than 100, officials said.
The Chinese-made F-7 BGI training jet slammed into the Milestone School and College campus, in Dhaka’s Uttara neighborhood, just after 1:06 p.m. local time as students were inside attending classes, military and fire officials said.
The flight was meant to be nothing more than a routine training mission, but tragedy struck when the aircraft experienced a mechanical failure, Lt. Col. Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury told Reuters.
A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into a school campus in the capital, Dhaka, on Monday, killing at least 18 people and injuring 164 others, the military said. AP
The incident occurred at the Milestone School and College in Dhaka’s northern area of Uttara, officials said. AP“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-story building belonging to Milestone School and College,” he said.
The crash and ensuing fire created chaos in the capital as first responders and local residents rushed to save the students inside the burning building.
According to the military and a fire official, the Chinese-made F-7 BGI aircraft crashed into the campus of Milestone School and College, in the Uttara neighborhood. Bangladesh Air Force
The remains of the aircraft are seen above. AFP via Getty ImagesThe desperate rescuers could be seen using tricycle rickshaws or whatever was available to transport the injured to local hospitals.
One father even sprinted inside the building to pull out his daughter, who was cradled in his arms, while other parents were seen frantically yelling for their children.
The military said the jet took off at 1:06 p.m. local time and crashed soon after, catching fire immediately. REUTERSAlong with serving as a private college, the facility also houses elementary and high school students.
The pilot of the training jet, who was not publicly named, was identified as one of the dead.
Damages are seen above after the Bangladesh Air Force F7 aircraft crashed into a building. Getty ImagesBidhan Sarker, head of the burn unit at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, said a third-grader who was brought to his facility was also among the dead.
Bangladesh’s fire service and security personnel conduct a search and rescue operation after an Air Force training jet crashed into a school in Dhaka on July 21, 2025. AFP via Getty ImagesLocal media indicated that most of the people injured in the crash were students.
At least 83 of the injured were transported to hospitals across the capital, with many listed under critical condition, officials said.
Local media indicated most of the injured were students. AFP via Getty ImagesRafiqa Taha, a student who was not present at the time of the crash, told The Associated Press that as many as 2,000 students were at the school.
“I was terrified watching videos on TV,” the 16-year-old said. “My God! It’s my school.”
Firefighters and army members carry the body of a victim after the deadly crash. REUTERSBangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus said the nation suffered an “irreparable” loss, describing the deadly crash as “a moment of deep national grief.”
“This is a moment of deep sorrow for the nation. I wish the injured a speedy recovery and instruct all authorities, including the hospitals concerned, to deal with the situation with utmost importance,” he said in a post on X.
People were screaming and crying after the Bangladesh Air Force F7 aircraft crashed into a building of Milestone College, according to reports. Getty ImagesYunus vowed to launch an investigation into the crash.
The F-7 BGI is one of the most advanced variants in China’s Chengdu J-7, F-7 aircraft family, according to the open-source intelligence company Jane’s Information Group.
Bangladesh had acquired 16 of the elite jets through a deal with Beijing in 2011.
With Post wires
