At least 25 children were among the 27 people found dead in charred buildings after a Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into a college and school campus in Dhaka, officials said on Tuesday, while 88 people are undergoing treatment in the hospital.
The F-7 BGI aircraft crashed soon after it took off at 1:06 p.m. (0706 GMT) on Monday from the airbase in Kurmitola in the capital on a routine training mission. The military said the plane experienced a mechanical failure.
Visuals showed rescue workers scouring the charred buildings for debris as distressed family members surrounded the site.
Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser on health, told reporters that 27 people had died and 88 were admitted to hospital with burn injuries. Those dead included 25 children, a teacher and the pilot.
The government announced a day of mourning, with flags at half-mast and special prayers at all places of worship.
The F-7 BGI is the final and most advanced variant in China’s Chengdu J-7/F-7 aircraft family, according to Jane’s Information Group. Bangladesh signed a contract for 16 aircraft in 2011, and deliveries were completed by 2013.
Fiery Wreckage
Firefighters sprayed water on the mangled remains of the plane, which appeared to have rammed into the side of a building, damaging iron grills and creating a gaping hole in the structure, Reuters TV visuals showed.
Visuals also showed people screaming and crying as others tried to comfort them.
“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,” said Masud Tarik, a teacher at the school.
Yunus Assures Investigation
Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh’s interim government, said “necessary measures” would be taken to investigate the cause of the accident 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.
The incident comes as neighbour India is still grappling with the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade after an Air India plane crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad last month, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground.
(With inputs from Reuters)
