Death toll rises to 19 after a Bangladesh Air Force jet crashes into Dhaka school

At least 19 people have died after a Bangladesh Air Force jet crashed onto the premises of Milestone School and College in Dhaka’s Uttara neighbourhood on Monday, according to local officials and media reports.

The aircraft, an F-7 BGI fighter jet, went down during school hours, sparking panic and chaos as students were attending classes or writing exams.

Television footage showed flames and thick black smoke rising from the crash site. Early reports said at least 13 people, including students, were injured. Bengali daily Prothom Alo reported that most of the injured were students with burn injuries. Over 20 people were taken to hospital.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic as rescuers used rickshaws and makeshift transport to carry victims away from the site.

Rafiqa Taha, a 16-year-old student who was not on campus at the time, told the Associated Press she was shocked after watching videos of the incident on television.

“My God! It’s my school,” she said. “I was terrified.”

Milestone School and College reportedly has around 2,000 students, running from elementary to grade 12.

A brief statement from the Bangladesh Army’s public relations office confirmed the jet belonged to the Bangladesh Air Force. Fire official Lima Khanam also confirmed the crash and said at least one person had initially died, though later reports revised the death toll to 16.

Further investigation is expected as authorities assess how the crash occurred and why the jet went down over a densely populated urban area.