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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Alastair Lockhart

At least 19 people dead after Bangladesh air force plane crashes into school

At least 19 people have died after a Bangladesh air force training plane crashed into a college and school campus in the capital city of Dhaka on Monday.

More than 50 people, including children and adults, were taken to hospital with burns, a doctor at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery told reporters.

The incident occurred at the Milestone School and College in Dhaka's northern area of Uttara, officials said.

"Bangladesh Air Force's F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed in Uttara. The aircraft took off at 13:06 (0706 GMT)," the military's public relations department said in a statement.

Videos of the aftermath of the crash showed a fire and plume of smoke which could be seen from miles around.

Large crowds and emergency services arrived at the scene (REUTERS)

Firefighters tackled the blaze after the plane appeared to have crashed into the side of a building.

"A third-grade student was brought in dead, and three others, aged 12, 14 and 40, were admitted to the hospital," said Bidhan Sarker, head of the burn unit at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, where some victims were taken.

Videos also showed people screaming and crying as others tried to comfort them.

"When I was picking (up) my kids and went to the gate, I realised something came from behind...I heard an explosion. When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke," said Masud Tarik, a teacher at the school.

Emergency workers remove a body from the crash site (REUTERS)

Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh's interim government, said "necessary measures" would be taken to investigate the cause of the accident and "ensure all kinds of assistance".

"The loss suffered by the Air Force... students, parents, teachers and staff, and others in this accident is irreparable," he said.

The incident comes a little over a month after an Air India plane crashed on top of a medical college hostel in neighbouring India's Ahmedabad city, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground, marking the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade.

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