Student Shares Tragedy in Bangladesh Jet Crash
At least 27 individuals, both students and the pilot, died when a training plane belonging to the Bangladesh Air Force crashed onto the grounds of a private school campus in Dhaka on Monday. The crash happened at Milestone School and College in the city's Uttara neighborhood.
The plane involved in the crash was an F-7 BGI, a variant of the Chinese-origin fighter plane. More than 170 people, most of whom were students, were injured in the crash, said military sources and a fire department official in quotes carried by the Associated Press.
The Bangladesh military has confirmed that the plane departed from the Air Force Base A K Khandaker within Dhaka's Kurmitola district at 1:06 pm local time. Moments after takeoff, the plane had a "technical malfunction" and crashed into a two-story school complex.
Officials added that the pilot had tried to steer away from landing in densely populated areas, but the plane still hit a section of the school building. The Air Force has established a high-level investigation committee to ascertain the cause of the crash.
Milestone School staff and students recounted frightening experiences from the tragedy.
One student from the school, Farhan Hasan, described the frightening experience to BBC Bangla: "My friend, the one I sat in the exam room with, died right before my eyes."
He continued, "In front of my eyes. the plane flew straight over his head. And lots of parents were standing inside because the little kids were coming out because it was end-of-school time. the plane took the parents with it."
Another student, Sajjad Shadi, described to the Dhaka Tribune how he was a few yards away when the plane crashed into the building. "I was in the field when the plane crashed two yards away from the building. There were ten minutes left when the primary grade classes used to finish. The plane crashed into the left side of the first floor, close to the stairs, and came out the other way," he said.
Narrating the aftermath, he continued, "Students screamed, 'Save me, my body is burning.' Many were on fire. Some children walked out to their guardians, their bodies bloody and burnt. Some were in shock. Those whose flesh was falling off were wrapped in cloth and taken to ambulances."
Masud Tarik, one of the teachers at the school, explained his frightful experience when waiting at the gate to collect his children. "When I was picking (up) my kids and approached the gate, I realized something came behind me. I heard an explosion. When I looked behind me, I only saw fire and smoke," he reported to Reuters.
