Bangladesh plane crash: Pilot's demise adds to death toll as rescue efforts continue

The pilot of the Bangladesh Air Force plane that crashed into a school campus in northern Dhaka died on Monday, bringing the total death toll to 19, officials said. More than a hundred have been injured as well.

Bangladesh's Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed that Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam Sagar had been piloting the Chinese-made F-7BGI aircraft, which crashed into the Milestone School and College at Uttara, Dhaka, on a regular school day, a Daily Star report said.

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The report added that the plane took-off at about 1:06 PM, and at about 1:30 PM, it crashed into the front side of the three-storey school building adjacent to the ten-storey college building, trapping several students. However, the cause of the crash is not yet known.

Milestone's faculty were the first to rescue students and other faculty members inside—many of whom sustained burn injuries—before the arrival of the army, followed by firefighters.

“I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured and direct all concerned authorities, including hospitals, to address the situation with the utmost priority,” stated Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh, expressing deep sorrow over the “irreparable” loss of life in the incident.

Large numbers of people gathered around the campus, delaying rescue operations as police, military personnel, fire officials and others struggled to contain the crowds.

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Rafiqa Taha, a student who was not present at the time of the crash, told The Associated Press that the school had a strength of 2,000 students from elementary to Class 12. “I was terrified watching videos on TV,” the 16-year-old said. “My God! It’s my school.”

Although regular classes had ended for most students, a significant number were still on campus taking tests or attending classes, Bandladeshi media portals said.

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