A Bangladesh Air Force F-7 BGI jet crashed into a school and college campus in Dhaka on Monday, killing 27 people—25 of them children—officials confirmed Tuesday. The jet, on a routine training flight from Kurmitola Airbase, reportedly suffered a mechanical failure shortly after takeoff.
Eighty-eight others are being treated for burn injuries. The deceased also include a teacher and the pilot.
Rescue workers searched the charred buildings as grieving families gathered at the scene. The government declared a day of mourning, with flags at half-mast and special prayers held nationwide.
The F-7 BGI is China’s most advanced variant of the J-7 series, with Bangladesh acquiring 16 of them by 2013.
The incident comes just weeks after India suffered the world’s deadliest aviation disaster in a decade, where 260 people died in a similar crash involving a college campus.
