At least 19 people are dead and multiple others injured following a military jet crashing into a school. The tragic accident happened at a college in Bangladesh.
On July 21, a Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into a classroom at the campus of Milestone School and College in the city of Dhaka. According to BBC News, 19 people died in the resulting wreckage. This included several students. Meanwhile, more than 100 people suffered some injuries from the crash.
Eight people are in critical condition.
According to the Bangladesh Army, the jet was a F-7 BGI aircraft. The jet crashed near the school gates on a packed campus. "The plane fell on the gate and crashed nearby. A class was in session where the plane crashed," the spokesperson told the outlet.
Jet Crashes Into School
The plane then crashed into the front of a school building while classes were ongoing. Following the plane crash, teachers and staff worked to help free students while they waited on first responders to arrive. Authorities transported the injured to local burn units after a fire broke out.
Flight Lieutenant Md Towkir Islam of the Bangladesh Air Force flew the plane. Miraculously, he managed to escape the jet before it crashed. But he, too, suffered injuries. They sent him to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) for medical treatment of his injuries. What those injuries are remain to be seen.
"[The plane] crashed into the primary school building, around 100-150 meters away from us. The pilot ejected from the plane with a parachute and got down while the primary school building caught fire," student Naimul Hasan Adit told TBS.
The college is asking for blood donations to help all those injured in the crash.
"Those interested in donating blood should come to these hospitals, there is a huge need for blood. Please do not obstruct the rescue work by crowding at the accident site," the school wrote on Facebook. The Dhaka Medical Burn Unit and other local hospitals were listed to where blood can be donated.
At this time, the cause of the crash remains unknown. However, authorities are investigating the jet.
