19 dead, dozens hurt after Bangladeshi jet crashes into college
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A Bangladesh Air Force F-7 BGI training jet crashes into Milestone School and College in Dhaka.
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Firemen work at the site of a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft that crashed into a school campus shortly after takeoff in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, July 21, 2025. (AP)
A Bangladesh air force training jet crashed into a college and school campus in the capital Dhaka on Monday, killing at least 19 people and injuring 164 others, after the aircraft encountered a technical issue shortly after take-off, according to a military spokesperson.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury, the military spokesperson, the F-7 BGI jet departed from the Bangladesh Air Force base in Kurmitola, Dhaka, at 1:06 pm (0706 GMT) for a routine training exercise before experiencing a mechanical malfunction.
"The pilot ... made a valiant attempt to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas. Despite his best efforts, the aircraft ... crashed into a two-storey building belonging to Milestone School and College," the spokesperson said. The pilot was among those who were killed in the crash.
A Bangladesh Air Force FT-7BGI fighter jet, a Chinese-built variant of the Chengdu J-7, crashed near Milestone College’s Uttara campus in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
— Soumyajit Pattnaik (@soumyajitt) July 21, 2025
The aircraft, identified as a training jet with tail number 701, was on a routine training mission when the incident… pic.twitter.com/de4kcy7mPb
The F-7 BGI, which represents the latest and most advanced iteration of China's Chengdu J-7/F-7 fighter aircraft series, as reported by Jane’s Information Group, was acquired by Bangladesh under a 2011 contract for 16 units with all deliveries finalized by 2013, while the Chengdu F-7 itself is a license-produced variant of the Soviet-era MiG-21 fighter jet.
Footage from the crash scene captured a large blaze erupting near a grassy area, sending dense clouds of smoke billowing into the sky while onlookers gathered at a safe distance to witness the aftermath.
"A third-grade student was brought in dead, and three others, aged 12, 14, and 40, were admitted to the hospital," head of the burn unit at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital Bidhan Sarker told Reuters.
