Dhaka, Bangladesh – A day of national mourning turned into public outrage on Tuesday after a Bangladesh Air Force fighter jet crashed into a school in Dhaka, killing 31 people—most of them children—and sparking widespread student protests across the capital.
The Chinese-made F-7 BGI aircraft ploughed into Milestone School and College on Monday afternoon, erupting in flames as it smashed through the two-story building just as students were preparing to return home. Among the victims were at least 25 children, a teacher who died trying to help others escape, and the pilot, who was reportedly on his first solo flight.
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Authorities said 171 people, most of them students, were rescued—many with severe burns. As of Tuesday evening, 165 were hospitalized, and 70 remained under treatment, according to the Health Ministry.
The crash triggered widespread grief and fury. Hundreds of students from Milestone and nearby schools gathered at the crash site as government officials arrived, shouting “Why did our brothers die? We demand answers!” Some students held up photos of classmates they had lost.
Elsewhere in the city, student protesters stormed the gates of the federal government secretariat, calling for the resignation of the education adviser and an investigation into the use of outdated aircraft. Police responded with baton charges, forcibly dispersing demonstrators.
Heartbreaking stories emerged from the wreckage. Abul Hossain, father of nine-year-old Nusrat Jahan Anika, said he had dropped his daughter at school like any other day, unaware it would be the last time he saw her. “She was buried last night,” he said through tears.
Rubina Akter shared how her son, Raiyan Toufiq, narrowly survived. “His shirt caught fire on the stairs. He jumped onto the grass and rolled to extinguish the flames. Tearing off his clothes saved him,” she recalled.
The military said the fighter jet had taken off from a nearby air base on a routine training flight but suffered a mechanical failure. Despite attempts by the pilot to divert the aircraft, it crashed into the densely populated school campus.
In a statement, the military confirmed the death toll at 31 and announced a day of mourning, with flags flown at half-mast and prayers held across places of worship.
Student protesters have issued a list of demands, including:
- Public release of all victims’ names
- Compensation for families of the deceased
- Retirement of aging fighter jets
- A review of air force training protocols
- A ban on training flights over populated areas
Interim administrator Muhammad Yunus’s office said in a statement that steps were underway to publish the victims’ list and investigate the crash. It also stated the air force would be instructed to cease training operations in civilian areas.
The F-7 BGI is the final and most advanced variant of China’s Chengdu J-7, based on the Soviet-era MiG-21. Bangladesh acquired 16 such jets under a 2011 contract, completed in 2013.
This tragedy comes as South Asia reels from another major aviation disaster. In neighboring India, an Air India aircraft crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad last month, killing 241 passengers and 19 people on the ground—the deadliest air disaster globally in over a decade.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, remains politically fragile. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country last August amid violent student-led protests. The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Yunus, has pledged to hold elections next year, though pressure mounts to bring them forward.
Indian officials confirmed plans to send a team of burn specialists and nurses to assist Dhaka’s hospitals. However, tensions between India and Bangladesh remain high following last year’s student uprisings.
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