Dhaka crash: ‘My friend died right in front of me’

Farhan Hasan had simply completed an examination and left the classroom chatting to pals when a Bangladeshi air pressure coaching jet crashed into his college campus – killing not less than 27 individuals.

“The burning aircraft was hitting the constructing proper in entrance of my eyes,” the Milestone College and Faculty pupil informed BBC Bangla.

Footage from the college in a northern suburb of the capital, Dhaka reveals an enormous fireplace and thick smoke, after the plane slammed right into a two-storey constructing.

Greater than 170 individuals had been injured within the crash.

The armed forces mentioned that the F-7 jet had skilled a mechanical fault after taking off for a coaching train simply after 13:00 native time (07:00 GMT). The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Md. Taukir Islam, was amongst these killed.

Farhan, who was talking to BBC Bangla alongside his uncle and his father, added: “My finest pal, the one I used to be within the examination corridor with, he died proper in entrance of my eyes.

“In entrance of my eyes… the aircraft went proper over his head. And plenty of mother and father had been standing inside as a result of the youthful youngsters had been popping out because it was the tip of the college day… the aircraft took the mother and father together with it.”

A instructor on the faculty, Rezaul Islam, informed the BBC that he noticed the aircraft “instantly” hit the constructing.

One other instructor, Masud Tarik, informed Reuters that he heard an explosion: “After I seemed again, I solely noticed fireplace and smoke… There have been many guardians and children right here.”

Hours after the crash, in a residential space which is sort of densely populated, enormous crowds gathered with individuals standing on prime of buildings to get a view.

As individuals ran in all instructions, ambulances and volunteers labored to search out their technique to carry the injured and lots of our bodies out of the Milestone College and Faculty.

At the least 30 ambulances had been seen shifting individuals out.

One girl searching for data on the scene informed the BBC her son had referred to as her proper after the crash, however she had not heard from him since.

Greater than 50 individuals, together with youngsters and adults, had been taken to hospital with burns, a health care provider on the Nationwide Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgical procedure mentioned.

Many households and kinfolk of victims had been contained in the hospital – together with Shah Alam, the uncle of a Yr 8 boy, Tanvir Ahmed, who died within the crash.

“My beloved nephew is within the morgue proper now,” Mr Alam mentioned holding on to his youthful brother – Tanvir’s father – who was unable to talk.

A lot of the victims contained in the burns hospital are minors – most of them are between the ages of 9 and 14.

Many different members of the general public got here to the hospital to donate blood; whereas quite a few politicians from the 2 outstanding political events Bangladesh Nationalist Get together (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami visited.

Bangladesh’s well being ministry mentioned victims have been admitted throughout seven hospitals within the Dhaka; whereas the interim authorities has introduced a day of mourning on Tuesday throughout the nation, when the nationwide flag can be flown at half-mast.

The pilot had tried to navigate the jet to a much less populated space after the mechanical fault occurred, the armed forces assertion mentioned. He had solely simply taken off from an air pressure base within the capital.

An investigation committee has been fashioned to look into the incident, the assertion added.

Muhammad Yunus, the chief of Bangladesh’s interim authorities, mentioned “vital measures” could be taken to research the reason for the incident and “guarantee all types of help”.

“This can be a second of deep sorrow for the nation. I want the injured a speedy restoration and instruct all authorities, together with the hospitals involved, to cope with the state of affairs with utmost significance,” he mentioned in a publish on social media website X.