Bangladesh Air Force jet crashes into Dhaka school; 19 killed
What's the story
A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft, identified as an F-7 BGI, crashed into the Milestone School and College in Dhaka's Uttara area on Monday. The incident occurred around 1:06pm during a routine training mission when students were present on campus taking tests or attending regular classes. At least 19 people have been killed, according to Shahjahan Shikder, media officer of Bangladesh Fire Services and Civil Defense. Among the deceased were the pilot and two teachers; the rest were children.
Injured
Up to 150 injured
Professor Md Sayedur Rahman, the Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said between 100-150 people have been injured as well. Footage from the scene showed smoke billowing from the school building as rescue teams worked to secure it and transport those injured. Firefighters were spraying water on the remnants of the jet, which appeared to have crashed into the side of a building, damaging iron grills and leaving a huge hole.
On-site confirmation
Plane crashed near school gate
"When I was picking [up] my kids and went to the gate, I realised something came from behind ... I heard an explosion. When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke," Masud Tarik, a teacher at the school, told Reuters. A spokesperson from Milestone School and College said that the plane crashed near the school gate during classes. "The plane fell on the gate and crashed nearby," he said. "A class was in session where the plane crashed."
Twitter Post
Visuals from the school
A #Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) training aircraft has crashed into Milestone College campus Atleast one person killed, numbers may rise. An “F-7 BGI” training aircraft crashed just after takeoff around 1:06pm,
— Tuhin Babu (@MdTuhinBabu9) July 21, 2025
video 3 pic.twitter.com/he3X7cVK7A
Yunus
Emergency hotline has been set up
Head of Bangladesh's interim government, Muhammad Yunus, said "necessary measures" would be taken to investigate the cause of the crash and "ensure all kinds of assistance." "The loss suffered by the air force ... students, parents, teachers and staff, and others in this accident is irreparable," he said. Yunus also revealed that an emergency hotline has been established at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in the aftermath of the incident.
Ongoing investigation
Investigation underway
The Bangladesh Army's public relations office confirmed that the aircraft belonged to the Air Force but did not provide details on the cause of the crash or if ejection occurred. The F-7 BGI is a Chinese-made jet commonly used by the Bangladesh Air Force for training missions. Each F-7 jet costs around $5.85 million. Following the crash, the government has announced a day of state mourning.