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Topics: News, World News, Social Media, Facebook
Joe Harker
Topics: News, World News, Social Media, Facebook
Warning: This article contains footage which some readers may find distressing.
There are casualties after a military plane crashed into a children's centre in Bangladesh today (21 July).
A training aircraft, an F-7 BGI, hit the campus of Milestone School and College, and officials have said that at least 19 people have been killed, while others have been injured in the catastrophe.
BBC reports that at least 100 others have been injured.
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The plane took off at 1:06pm and soon afterwards crashed into the school, with firefighters arriving on the scene at 1:22pm and the emergency services carried several people away from the crash site.
Horrifying footage of the aftermath of the crash shows fierce flames from the site where the training plane crashed into a school building as people make their way away from the scene.
"A fighter jet has crashed into a building of Milestone College at Diabari area," Mohidul Islam, of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Uttara division told The Business Standard in a statement.
A student at the school told the outlet that they saw the plane crash into one of the buildings and 'then it crashed into the primary school building.'
He said he'd been around 100 metres away from the scene of the crash and saw that 'the pilot ejected from the plane with a parachute.'
However, the outlet reports that there have been Facebook posts claiming that the pilot died in the crash when the plane struck a building where young children were.
Bangladesh government head Muhammad Yunus said in a statement on social media that he had 'deep sorrow and grief over the tragic accident' which had occurred.
"The loss caused by this accident to the air force personnel, and to the students, guardians, teachers, and staff of Milestone School and College, is irreparable. This is a moment of profound sorrow for the nation," he said.
"I wish a speedy recovery to the injured and have instructed all relevant authorities, including hospitals, to respond to the situation with the highest priority.
"The government will take necessary measures to investigate the cause of the accident and will ensure all kinds of assistance."
The Metro reports that over 50 people have been taken to hospital to be treated for burns, according to a doctor from the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.