Bangladesh students protest after Air Force jet crash into school kills 31
Hundreds of students poured onto the streets of Dhaka on Tuesday, demanding justice and safety reforms after a Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into a school building, killing 31 people, most of them students.
The deadly crash, which occurred Monday in the densely populated Uttara neighborhood, left 25 students, a teacher, and the pilot dead. Officials said 171 people, mostly students from Milestone School and College, were rescued, with many suffering severe burns. At least 78 remain hospitalized, and several are in critical condition, News.Az reports, citing AP News.
The government has declared Tuesday a day of national mourning as anger and grief grip the capital.
Students blocked major roads near the crash site, demanding accountability, compensation for victims’ families, and a suspension of what they call “outdated and unsafe” air force training flights. Clashes erupted when security forces used tear gas, batons, and stun grenades to disperse protesters who had entered the Bangladesh Secretariat, the country’s main administrative complex.
The protests echo last year’s student-led uprising that forced the prime minister from office. “We want justice for our friends,” shouted one group of students, accusing authorities of negligence.
“Within seconds, the plane crashed right in front of me,” said Smriti, an 11th-grade student who survived the incident. “I saw children lying lifeless. Can you save them? Will they ever return to their parents’ arms?”
Maherin Chowdhury, a teacher hailed as a hero for rescuing over 20 students from the burning classrooms, later died from severe burns, colleagues confirmed.
The military reported that the Chinese-made F-7 BGI jet experienced a “technical malfunction” shortly after takeoff from the A.K. Khandaker air base. Flight Lt. Mohammed Toukir Islam, on his first solo training flight, attempted to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas but could not avoid the school building. It is unclear whether he attempted to eject before the crash.
The incident is the deadliest air force-related accident in Dhaka in recent memory. A 2008 crash of another F-7 training jet near the city also resulted in the pilot’s death.
As night fell on Tuesday, students vowed to continue protests until their demands — including the resignation of a senior education adviser and the publication of an accurate list of the dead and injured — are met.
Doctors say some victims’ bodies are charred beyond recognition, requiring DNA tests before being handed over to families. Blood donation drives are ongoing at Dhaka’s burn hospitals as authorities brace for more casualties.
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