Over 50 people were rushed to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery on Monday after a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into Milestone School and College in Uttara, Dhaka.
Most of those admitted were students. Doctors said they are receiving emergency care. Some of the victims are children. Others are adults. The extent of burns varies. A few are in critical condition.
A resident doctor at the burn institute told reporters around 3 p.m., “Right now, we’re focusing on stabilizing patients. It’s too early to say how severe the burns are.”
Air Force Jet Crash Triggers Emergency Response
The aircraft was an F-7 BGI training jet, according to the ISPR. It departed Kurmitola Air Base at 1:06 p.m. for a routine training exercise. Minutes later, it crashed into one of the academic buildings of Milestone School and College.
The Fire Service confirmed one death, with eight units sent to the scene. Military personnel from the Army and Air Force joined police and BGB members to support rescue operations.
Helicopters from the Air Force were used to transport some of the injured to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), a government facility typically reserved for armed forces and their families.
Hospitals Flooded With Injured Students
Professor Dr Nasir Uddin, Director of the Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, said they were overwhelmed. “Patients are still coming in. It’s difficult to speak right now,” he said, as more ambulances arrived.
Several injured were also taken to other hospitals around the city. Emergency staff across Dhaka remained on alert. No complete casualty list has been released.
Social Media Shows Chaos, Fire, and Rescues
Videos from the crash site circulated online. One clip showed people being carried out with visible injuries. Another captured the blackened structure of the school building with flames still burning.
There were screams. Smoke. Parents rushing to the scene. Many parents said they didn’t know if their children were inside when the crash happened.
One teacher, visibly shaken, described the chaos. “We just heard the noise and saw smoke. Everyone was running,” he said.
Military Investigation to Follow
So far, officials have not identified what caused the crash. A military committee is expected to investigate.
The first sign something was terribly wrong was the sound, followed by the sight of a frantic search where an old training jet fell from the sky. The plane, a Chinese-built F-7 BGI, was a familiar sight here, a relic of the Soviet MiG-21 design that the air force had used for over a decade.
Now, the rescue is underway—but the heart of the crisis is unfolding in the hospitals nearby. Families stand by, fear etched across their faces, waiting for updates that haven’t yet come. The local school has shut down, the community gripped by collective dread.
