A Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into a school campus in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Monday afternoon, resulting in at least 20 fatalities and over 170 injuries. This incident is the country’s most severe aviation disaster in recent years. The Chinese-manufactured F-7BGI aircraft collided with the Milestone School and College campus in the Uttara neighborhood shortly after takeoff.
The jet departed at 1:06 p.m. local time on July 21, 2025, from a military base in Dhaka for a standard training exercise. Military officials reported that the aircraft encountered a mechanical issue shortly after takeoff, crashing within minutes into the school’s two-story building. The crash set off a fire and a large explosion.
Among those killed was the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Md. Taukir Islam. Military representatives noted that he tried to divert the aircraft to a less populated area when the mechanical problem arose.
Milestone School and College accommodates around 2,000 students from elementary to 12th grade, with ages from four to 18 years old. The crash happened as afternoon classes were ending, and many younger students were outside. The jet reportedly hit a five-story academic building before descending onto the smaller two-story structure.
Eyewitnesses recounted scenes of chaos. Masud Tarik, a teacher at the school, said, “I only saw fire and smoke.” He heard an explosion and observed massive flames in the area where students and guardians were gathered at the time.
Injured individuals were taken to nearby hospitals using any available means, including tricycle rickshaws. More than 50 people, comprising children and adults, were admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery with burn injuries. Hospital authorities stated that at least 83 survivors, mostly students, were being treated in hospitals in the capital, with some in critical condition.
The crash site was extensively damaged, with footage showing a significant fire near the school lawn and thick smoke rising into the air. Emergency services sifted through the wreckage to find survivors while crowds gathered on nearby buildings to watch the rescue efforts.
Bangladesh’s interim government leader Muhammad Yunus expressed deep regret over the incident and promised a thorough investigation. He stated that all measures would be taken to determine the cause and provide assistance to those impacted. Yunus instructed all relevant authorities, including hospitals, to prioritize the situation and declared it a moment of significant national sorrow.
The government declared a national day of mourning for Tuesday, July 22, during which the national flag was flown at half-mast at all government buildings, educational institutions, and Bangladeshi missions abroad. Special prayers were conducted at places of worship across the country to honor the victims.
The Bangladesh Air Force has established a high-level investigation committee to ascertain the exact cause of the mechanical failure that led to the crash. The Uttara neighborhood, where the event occurred, is a densely populated area in northern Dhaka, a city with over 20 million residents.
This marks the most severe aviation disaster involving civilian casualties in Bangladesh in recent memory. Over the past two decades, the country has experienced multiple plane crashes involving military and civilian training flights, resulting in at least 15 prior fatalities, though none were as severe as Monday’s event. Most earlier incidents involved only military flight crew members.
The previous deadliest aviation accident in Bangladesh occurred in 1984 when a passenger plane en route from Chattogram to Dhaka crashed, resulting in 49 fatalities. However, that incident did not involve ground casualties at a civilian location like the school crash on Monday.
Emergency response efforts continued throughout Monday evening as rescue teams worked to ensure all victims were located and survivors received necessary medical care. The investigation into the mechanical failure that caused the crash is expected to take several weeks as authorities review the aircraft’s maintenance records and flight data.
