Death Toll In Bangladesh Air Force Plane Crash Rises To 31
Most of the people killed were students, Yunus’s office said.
A Chinese-made F-7 jet suffered a mechanical failure and crashed into a school in Bangladesh on Monday, killing at least 31 people, including the pilot, according to an official tally
The Bangladesh Air Force F-7 aircraft crashed on the campus of the Milestone School and College in the Uttara area of the capital, Dhaka, the office of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said in a statement.
The aircraft took off at 1:06 p.m. local time on a regular training mission, according to the Bangladesh Armed Forces, which identified the pilot as Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam. The jet experienced a mechanical failure after take-off, with the pilot trying to steer the stricken aircraft away from a densely populated area before crashing into the two-storey school building, it said.
Most of the people killed were students, Yunus’s office said. According to school staff, the campus serves students in grades 6 through 8. As many as 78 people are currently being treated in hospitals, Sayedur Rahman, special assistant for health and family welfare to the chief adviser, said on Tuesday.
The Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka has reported the highest number of casualties, with 14 deaths and 27 injuries, according to data released by the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate early Tuesday.
The crashed F-7 is an export version of the J-7, which was in mass production into the 1980s. Manufacturing of the J-7 ended in the 2010s, and although the People’s Liberation Army Air Force retired J-7s from service in 2023, some international users remain.
Bangladesh purchased 57 F-7 jets from China between 1989 and 2011, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. That puts it as the fourth biggest buyer of the Chinese jets historically.
Chinese aircraft have been in the spotlight this year. One of the manufacturers of the J-7, AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Co., also produced the J-10Cs that Pakistan said it used to shoot down Indian jets in May. A research group under India’s Defense Ministry also said Beijing helped Pakistan reorganize its air defense network and satellite coverage during the clash.
In a separate statement issued Tuesday, the interim government led by Yunus dismissed what it called “propaganda” alleging a cover-up of casualty figures.
“We are observing with concern that propaganda is being spread from various quarters claiming that information about the casualties is being concealed,” Yunus’s office said. “We want to state very firmly that this claim is not correct.” A multi-agency effort involving the interim government, armed forces, and school and hospital authorities is underway to verify and publish a complete list of the dead and injured, according to the statement.
Officials are using DNA testing to identify victims who cannot be recognized.
