Pilot missing after training plane crashes into milestone school; rescue efforts underway

A training plane crashed into a building at Milestone School in Sector 17, Uttara, Dhaka, at 1:18 pm on Monday, leaving the pilot missing. 

One person was killed, and 15 others were injured in the incident. 

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), rescue operations are actively underway.

Group Captain Ragib Samad, Executive Director of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, stated that the injured are being rescued from the school grounds and transported to CMH Hospital. Efforts to locate the missing pilot continue.

The plane caught fire soon after crash. 

Lima Khan, an officer at the Fire Service control room, reported that eight fire units from Uttara, Tongi, Pallabi, Kurmitola, Mirpur, and Purbachal stations are working to extinguish the blaze. 

Rescue operations remain in progress.

Two platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have joined the efforts to assist with rescue and maintain law and order at the scene.

The ISPR said that the crashed aircraft, an Air Force F-7 BJI training plane, took off at 1:06 pm. 

Eyewitnesses reported the plane crashing onto the Milestone School and College campus.

Shah Bulbul, Public Relations Officer at Milestone College, told The Daily Samakal that the crash damaged a classroom near the school’s canteen. Security forces have cordoned off the area, restricting access, including to college authorities.

A video of the incident, showing a plume of smoke and crowds of students and onlookers at the site, has gone viral on social media.