Bangladesh air force plane crashes in college campus in Dhaka, death poll reaches 19, several injured

A training aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed on Monday in Uttara, a northern area of the capital Dhaka, killing one person and injuring at least four others, according to fire service officials. The aircraft, identified as an F-7 BGI training jet, took off at 1:06 pm local time before it crashed into a college campus, the military's public relations department said in a statement. 

At least 19 people lost their lives and over 100 others were injured when a Bangladesh Air Force F-7 BGI training aircraft, according to a report by Reuters. Local media reports suggest the plane may have hit the roof of the college canteen, though this has not been confirmed by authorities. Videos circulating online showed a large fire with thick black smoke rising into the air, as onlookers watched from a safe distance.

The four injured people were quickly taken to a nearby military hospital for treatment, according to a report by the Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo, quoting a fire service control room officer.

The cause of the crash is still unknown, and an investigation is expected to follow. No official details have been released yet about the pilot’s condition or whether any students or staff at the college were among the injured.

This crash comes just over a month after a deadly aviation disaster in India, where an Air India flight crashed onto the rooftop of a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad. That incident killed 241 passengers, making it one of the worst air disasters in recent years.