A Bangladesh Air Force fighter jet crashed into a school in the nation’s capital on Monday (local time), killing 27.
The majority of those killed were children.
The incident comes after an Air India plane crash last month, which resulted in the deaths of 260 people.
Details
On Facebook, the Bangladesh Armed Force said “a sudden accident” had occurred on the jet shortly after take-off.
It confirmed that the jet took off from a military base in Dhaka “as part of regular training,” when it “encountered a mechanical fault.”
The army said the pilot had “made every effort to [divert] the aircraft from a densely populated area to a sparsely populated area.”
The aircraft crashed into a school in the neighbourhood of Uttara during school hours. The base is around 8km from the school.
The country’s health ministry has confirmed at least 27 people had been killed, 25 of whom were children.
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The army reports more than 170 had been injured.
Response
On Monday (local time), the head of Bangladesh’s interim government Muhammad Yunus confirmed there would be a day of state mourning.
The Ministry of Education also postponed exams scheduled for Tuesday.
In a press release, Yunus said: “The identities of all the deceased are being verified and listed… the highest measures have been taken to provide proper treatment to the injured.
Bangladesh’s Health Ministry said in a statement on Facebook that the Government would provide free treatment to the patients injured in the accident.
The Bangladesh Air Force said it was “deeply shocked” by the incident and is “actively providing all-round assistance to the injured.” It confirmed rescue operations are ongoing.
The Bangladeshi Army has confirmed it is investigating the incident.
In a statement, the United Nations expressed its “sincere condolences” to the families impacted and acknowledged the victims, “including many children.”
