At least 20 killed as Bangladesh air force jet crashes into Dhaka school

Officials stated that a Bangladesh Air Force training plane crashed into a school in Dhaka, the capital, shortly after takeoff on Monday afternoon. The plane caught fire and killed the pilot and at least 20 other persons, most of whom were children.

The Bangladesh Armed Forces claimed that the collision at Milestone School and College in the Diabari region of northern Dhaka hurt 171 other people. The military reported that most of the injured are students who are being treated in hospitals in the capital.

The Chinese-made F-7 BGI training plane had a "technical malfunction" just after takeoff at 1:06 p.m. local time. The pilot tried to steer the plane to a less populated area, but it crashed into the campus of Milestone School and College, according to a statement from the military.

Authorities are looking into what caused the collision.

Muhammad Yunus, the leader of the country's interim government, offered his "deep condolences" over the "tragic accident", adding in a social media post that the cause of the crash would be investigated.

“This is a moment of profound pain for the nation. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured and direct all concerned authorities, including hospitals, to address the situation with the utmost priority.”

The Milestone school is around 11 kilometers (7 miles) from the A.K. Khandaker air force base in Dhaka's Uttara suburb. There are a lot of people living near the school, and there are a lot of stores and residences nearby as well as a metro station.

The pilot, Flight Lt. Mohammed Toukir Islam, made “every effort to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas toward a more sparsely inhabited location,” the military said, adding that it would investigate the cause of the accident.

On Tuesday, the government declared a national day of mourning, and flags flew at half-staff all around the country.