Many children die from burns after plane crashed into school in Bangladesh

Multiple casualties rose to 32 people, including 29 students, a pilot, and two teachers, following the crash of an aircraft, a Bangladesh Air Force F‑7 BGI training jet, into Milestone School and College campus, Uttara, Dhaka.
The incident on Monday, at approximately 11:20 a.m. local time, involved a routine training flight, flown by Lieutenant Toukir Islam, that crashed directly into the school’s main building while morning classes were in session.
The Inter‑Services Public Relations Directorate of the Bangladesh Armed Forces announced that about 171 people suffered injuries, with many, including children, sustaining burns.
“We saw the plane engulfed in flames as it was heading towards us, then it crashed directly into the building,” Hasbya Rahman, a witness and student at Milestone School and College, told BSS, a Bangladeshi media outlet.
The chief adviser of the interim Bangladesh government, Muhammad Yunus, on Monday assured that an investigation would be conducted into the incident.
Mr Yunus said, “I have no words. I don’t even know how to begin. Like me, people across the country are stunned and in shock today. None of us could have imagined such a tragedy. It was beyond anyone’s thoughts. And yet, we were suddenly forced to accept this unthinkable reality.”
“Even the word ‘sorrow’ seems too little to describe what we are feeling. The shock of this tragedy hasn’t worn off yet. Bodies are still arriving at hospitals. Children are still dying in hospitals. Parents are still desperately searching, asking where their sons or daughters are. Some may never recognise them again,” he added.
Following the incident, hundreds of students from Milestone school and nearby colleges, in a Tuesday protest near the site of the crash, demanded accountability, compensation for the families of the victims, and a stop to training flights from the Bangladesh authorities.
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