(LONDON) — At least 18 people were killed and 164 were injured when a Bangladeshi air force training jet crashed near a school in the capital Dhaka on Monday, officials said.
The aircraft crashed on the grounds of the Milestone School and College, in the city’s northern Uttara neighborhood, close to the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
“At the moment, 18 people have died and 164 are injured,” Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury, the director of the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, told ABC News.
“The rescue operation is still ongoing. It will take some more time. All injured or dead have been taken to four different hospitals,” he added.
The single-seater aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, Chowdhury said. The pilot died from his injuries as he was being taken to hospital, he added.
“It was a training mission, part of regular training, not a bigger exercise,” Chowdhury said. He added that the ISPR does not know yet if the aircraft had any prior technical issues.
Chowdhury said the rescue operation at the impact site is ongoing. “There may still be people inside,” he said. “We are not yet sure if everyone is out of the building. The smoke and heat are very high.”
A senior teacher at the school told ABC News that around 4,000 students study at the center. “But when the incident happened, around 1,000 students were present in the campus,” the teacher said. The plane crashed next to the school’s cafeteria.
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