Military Plane Crashes Into School Killing 19
At least 19 people are reported to have been killed after a听听crashed into a school in Bangladesh earlier today. The aircraft, a Chengdu F-7BGI, is said to have directly hit the building, resulting in a huge explosion that has left at least 100 people injured, many of whom have suffered from burn injuries.
As the evening turns to night in听Bangladesh, there are fears that the death toll from the tragic accident could rise further, with some conflicting reports between official sources concerning the number of people who have died or been injured as a result of the accident. For now, Bangladesh has declared a national day of mourning across the country tomorrow, as it comes to terms with the tragedy.
Tragedy In Dhaka
Photo:听
Earlier today, just after 13:00 local time, a Chengdu F-7BGI fighter jet belonging to the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into a school in Dhaka, the capital city of the Asian country. The F-7BGI is an upgraded version of the Chengdu J-7, which itself is a license-built version of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 aircraft. Between 1965 and 2013, the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation is said to have built over 2,400 J-7s.
The aircraft reportedly came down this lunchtime in the Uttara neighborhood of听, where the听听notes that it directly collided with a building at the Milestone School and College to the north of the capital city. As it stands, 19 people are confirmed to have perished as a result of the crash, which caused a huge explosion of fire and smoke, with a statement from the military confirming that:
"Bangladesh Air Force's F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed in Uttara. The aircraft took off at 13:06 (07:06 GMT)."
What Do We Know So Far?
Photo:听
In addition to the 19 people who are sadly confirmed to have been killed as a result of the听, the BBC adds that more than 100 people have been taken to hospital due to the injuries that they sustained from the impact and subsequent fire. Of these, at least 50 are specifically being treated for burn injuries, according to a doctor at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
Thus far, nine fire engines are said to have been deployed to the scene of the crash in order to tackle the resulting blaze, as well as six ambulances to treat those injured as a result of the accident. With some conflicts between official sources in terms of the number of people that have been killed and injured as a result of the tragedy, there are fears that the death toll may yet continue to rise.
Muhammad Yunus, who is currently serving as the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh's interim government,听听that "the government will take necessary measures to investigate the cause of the accident and ensure all forms of assistance." He also directed "direct all concerned authorities, including hospitals, to address the situation with the utmost priority."
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Tomorrow Will Be A National Day Of Mourning As Details Continue To Emerge
Photo: Bangladesh Air Force
In response to the accident, Bangladesh has declared that tomorrow (July 22) will serve as a national day of mourning, with the BBC adding that flags across the country will be flown at half mast in memory of those who have perished as a result of the crash. Among these,听听confirms, was the听听of the aircraft, who was said to have been flying their first solo mission today.
The publication adds that the plane crashed just 10 minutes into its flight, in which it was accompanied by a second aircraft, at around 13:16 local time, after diving sharply after clipping one of the larger college buildings and crashing into a two-storey primary school facility. Per听, the pilot was advised to eject by air traffic controllers, but was unable to do so before the jet crashed down.
The Daily Campus adds that, after finding that the aircraft was not responding to control inputs, the pilot attempted to fly the aircraft towards a less densely built-up area of the city. This brave act听, but, sadly, in this instance, the plane could not be prevented from crashing into the suburbs, and Bangladesh must now come to terms with the tragedy.