19 dead as Bangladeshi Air Force jet crashes into college building in Dhaka

KATHMANDU: At least 19 people died and more than 100 were injured when a Bangladeshi Air Force jet crashed into a college in Dhaka on Monday afternoon.

According to Dhaka-based publication The Daily Star, the F7 aircraft crashed into a building of Milestone College in Dhaka’s Uttara at around 1:30 pm.

“It was exactly at the time of school dismissal. Students were waiting at the gates. Just then, we saw fire break out — completely unexpected, completely unprepared,” The Daily Star quoted a teacher of the college as saying.

“There was no warning. Before we even understood what was happening, there were flames all around. Visibility dropped instantly. All I could see was fire, then smoke.”

The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Sagar, was injured in the crash and is being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), according to media reports.

The cause of the accident remains unknown.