BANGLADESH – A Bangladesh Air Force aircraft crash into Milestone School and College in Uttara neighborhood, Dhaka have left at least 27 people dead according to local authorities. The dead include 25 students and pilot.

At least 78 others – mostly schoolchildren, firefighters, and soldiers – remain hospitalized with severe burn injuries, some in critical condition, said Dr. Md Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the head of the interim government, during a media briefing.

Of the dead, 20 bodies have been identified and returned to their families, while six remain unidentified, Rahman added.

The aircraft hit the building of the Milestone School and College in Uttara neighborhood, with footage showing huge smoke of fire erupting from the site.

The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that 171 others were injured in the incident, and the majority suffered burn injuries

The majority of the victims are college students and staff, and the pilot, Mohammad Towkir Islam Sagar, the sole occupant of the Chinese-manufactured FT-7 BGI fighter jet, was also killed.

The interim government has announced a state of mourning on Tuesday in the wake of the deadly crash.

According to the ISPR, the Air Force aircraft “encountered a mechanical fault” after taking off from the AK Khandaker airbase in Dhaka’s Kurmitola area.

It added that the Air Force has formed a high-level committee to conduct investigations into the incident.

The pilot “tried to take the aircraft away” from the densely populated area, but it crashed into a two-story building of Milestone School and College in Dhaka’s Diabari neighborhood, the ISPR said.

Md. Rafi Al Faruque, control room duty officer at the Fire Service and Civil Defense, confirmed that several people were killed in the incident.

The Inter-Services Public Relations, the military’s media department, said the plane took off at 1.06 pm local time (07.06GMT).