19 killed as Bangladesh air force plane crashes into college campus

DHAKA — At least 19 people were killed and more than 100 injured as a Bangladesh air force training jet crashed into a college and school campus in the capital Dhaka on Monday, the military said.

The pilot was among those killed in the incident, the military said, adding that a committee had been formed to investigate its cause.

The incident occurred at the Milestone School and College in Dhaka's northern area of Uttara, officials said.

"Bangladesh Air Force's F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed in Uttara. The aircraft took off at 13:06," the military's public relations department said in a statement.

Videos of the aftermath of the crash showed a big fire near a lawn emitting a thick plume of smoke into the sky, as crowds watched from a distance.

Firefighters sprayed water on the mangled remains of the plane, which appeared to have rammed into the side of a building, damaging iron grills and creating a gaping hole in the structure, Reuters TV visuals showed.

"A third-grade student was brought in dead, and three others, aged 12, 14 and 40, were admitted to the hospital," said Bidhan Sarker, head of the burns unit at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, where some victims were taken.

Visuals also showed people screaming and crying as others tried to comfort them.

Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh's interim government, said "necessary measures" would be taken to investigate the cause of the accident and "ensure all kinds of assistance (to the victims)".

"The loss suffered by the Air Force … students, parents, teachers and staff, and others in this accident is irreparable," he said.

Agencies Via Xinhua