Death Toll Climbs to 27 in Bangladesh Fighter Jet Crash

• A Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft crashed into a school in Dhaka.
• 78 individuals are receiving treatment in various hospitals.
• The government led by Yunus has declared Tuesday as a national day of mourning.

DHAKA: A tragic incident occurred on Monday when a Bangladeshi fighter jet crashed into a school in Dhaka, leading to the deaths of at least 27 people, primarily children, according to official reports released on Tuesday.

Most of the casualties were students who had just been dismissed from their classes when the Chinese-manufactured F-7 BJI jet collided with Milestone School and College.

This crash marks the deadliest aviation disaster in Bangladesh in many years and resulted in injuries to over 170 individuals.

“We have confirmed 27 fatalities thus far; of these, 25 were children, and one was the pilot,” stated Sayedur Rahman, a special assistant to the chief adviser in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

“Currently, 78 injured individuals are being treated across different hospitals,” Rahman added.

According to the Bangladesh military, the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam, was conducting a routine training exercise when the aircraft reportedly suffered mechanical failure.

“The cause of the incident is still under investigation,” the military stated in a public announcement.

Efforts were made by the pilot to steer the aircraft away from densely populated regions; however, “despite his best attempts,” it crashed into the two-story school building, added the military.

The interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, has declared Tuesday a national day of mourning.

Yunus expressed his “deep sorrow and grief” about the tragedy in a post on X. “The irreparable loss felt by the Air Force, the students, their parents, the teachers, and staff of Milestone School and College, as well as others impacted by this disaster, is immense,” he stated. “This is a profoundly painful moment for our nation.”