MUMBAI, India – At least 20 people were killed in Bangladesh after an air force training jet crashed into the Milestone School and College in Dhaka, the capital of the South Asia nation.
” It is with great sorrow that I learned of the devastating air crash, which ploughed into a school building in Dhaka,” Cardinal Patrick D’Rozario told Crux.
At least 164 people were injured in the crash after the aircraft hit a two-story building on the campus. Bengali-language daily newspaper Prothom Alo said that most of the injured were students.
Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, said “necessary measures” would be taken to investigate the cause of the incident and “ensure all kinds of assistance.”
“This is a moment of deep sorrow for the nation. I wish the injured a speedy recovery and instruct all authorities, including the hospitals concerned, to deal with the situation with utmost importance,” he wrote in a post on X, formally known as Twitter.
The Chinese-made F-7 BGI training aircraft experienced a “technical malfunction” moments after takeoff at 1:06 p.m. local time, and the pilot attempted to divert the plane to a less populated area before crashing into the campus of Milestone School and College, according to a statement from the military.
Government officials have not released details about those who have died or are injured.
More than 50 people, including children, were admitted to the hospital with burn injuries following the crash, a doctor at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery told reporters.
“A third-grade student was brought in dead, and three others, aged 12, 14 and 40, were admitted to the hospital,” Bidhan Sarker, head of the burn unit at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, told the Reuters news agency.
Yunus also republished a Tweet questioning what happened.
“A Heartbreaking tragedy. A devastating loss for Bangladesh. Why were training flights near schools? Urging a thorough investigation to ensure accountability and prevent future incidents,” the X post re-tweeted by the Bangladeshi leader reported.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his sadness about the event.
“Our hearts go out to the bereaved families,” Modi said in a post on X.
“India stands in solidarity with Bangladesh and is ready to extend all possible support and assistance,” he added
D’Rozario, who was Archbishop of Dhaka from 2011 to 2020, is currently in Rome, and told Crux he was “deeply saddened when I received the news, the tragic loss of lives, mostly students and children.”
“I offer my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and offer my prayerful solidarity in their moment of pain and loss. I pray for all of the victims of the tragedy as well as their families and loved ones. Our prayers are with them in this hour of immense grief and loss,” the cardinal said.
