Dhaka: A trainer aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into a college in the Uttara area in the capital city of Dhaka on Monday afternoon, killing at least one and injuring several others. The aircraft involved has been identified as a Chinese-origin F-7 BGI jet trainer. There is no information about the pilots.
While crashes are not uncommon in military aviation, pilots normally do their best to steer aircraft away from populated areas during emergencies, even at the cost of their own lives.
On July 10, two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots died after their Jaguar trainer aircraft crashed in Rajasthan. Preliminary investigation revealed that the pilots could have ejected, but remained in the cockpit till the last, fighting the controls to take the stalled jet away from a village.
After Monday’s incident, the defence ministry in Bangladesh issued a statement confirming the crash. “An F-7 BGI training aircraft took off at 1:06 pm today and crashed into the college campus soon after,” it said.
Lima Khanam, duty officer at the Fire Service Central Control Room in Dhaka said: “The training aircraft crashed at the Milestone School and College in Diabari. Our team has recovered one body. The Air Force has rescued four people with injuries and taken them away.”
Locals said that the aircraft caught firing after crashing. They heard a loud noise and saw dense smoke from a distance. At least eight fire engines rushed to the site along with ambulances. Bangladesh Air Force helicopters also landed nearby to provide support.