Diabari jet crash death toll rises to 20

A Bangladesh Air Force fighter jet has crashed into a building inside Milestone School and College in Dhaka’s Diabari, killing at least 20 people and injuring or burning over 171 others.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the F-7 BGI jet took off at 1:06pm and crashed just 12 minutes later, during a solo training flight on Monday.

A witness, Zaherul Islam, a local, told bdnews24.com: “It seemed to me that the aircraft slammed into the field, skidded, and hit the building. That’s when the fire broke out.”

The jet struck the two-storey Hydar Ali academic building, where students from grades 3 to 8 of the English-medium section were in session. The incident occurred just as classes ended, with many parents waiting outside to pick up their children.

The aircraft burst into flames on impact, sending thick black smoke billowing into the air. Nine units of the Fire Service rushed to the scene.

“The building was full of children when the fire broke out. No one could get out,” said Shah Bulbul, a spokesperson for Milestone School and College.

Wounded students and guardians were evacuated on stretchers, rickshaws, and pushcarts. Over a dozen ambulances carried victims to hospitals, including Dhaka CMH, Crescent Hospital, Uttara Adhunik Hospital, Kurmitola Medical College, Kuwait Maitree Hospital, and Lubna General Hospital. Many of the severely burned were later moved to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.

By 4:30pm, Brigadier General Md Zahid Kamal, Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defence, said 19 bodies had been recovered from the wreckage.

ISPR later confirmed that 20 people, including the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Md Towkir Islam, had died in the crash.

The dead included 12 at Dhaka CMH, two each at the burn institute, Kurmitola, and Lubna General, and one each at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Uttara Adhunik Hospital. Identities of the victims were not immediately confirmed.

Witnesses said they saw someone descending by parachute after the crash, while those inside the burning building were unreachable.

An eleventh-grade student who gave a single name, Kawsar, said the fighter jet crashed into the junior campus, home to Classes 5 through 8.

“Our younger brothers were all there. Everyone burned. We entered but couldn’t pull anyone out. The situation was terrible.”

Twelfth-grader Sadman Tanvir recalled hearing a loud explosion during class. “Everyone panicked. We rushed out to see flames engulfing Building 1. It looked like a part of the jet exploded in front of it,” he said.

“Thanks to the nearby fire station and Army camp, response was quick. But many people were still inside, especially small children.”

Latifa Begum, who lives near the school, said her niece in Grade 6 had just returned home, but others were still waiting outside for coaching classes when the plane crashed.

Mohammad Jaimat Ali, who runs a nearby excavator repair garage, said he and his colleague Apon Ahmed were stunned to see a jet flying abnormally low. Moments later, a deafening boom rang out. They ran toward the metro rail depot but saw smoke and flames billowing from the school.

“We saw someone landing with a parachute. Children and their parents were on fire. We tried to help, but the heat was unbearable,” Jaimat said.

“There was no way to get inside. We don’t know what happened to those trapped.”

Excavator operator Apon said they saw 10 to 15 children lying motionless.

“We couldn’t save them. Even the ones pulled out were severely burned -- everything from their clothes to schoolbags.”

The Army and Fire Service teams arrived soon after.