PTI Dhaka

A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into a school building in Dhaka shortly after takeoff on Monday, killing at least 19 people, mostly children, and injuring 164, in one of the deadliest aviation accidents in the country's recent history.

The F-7 BGI aircraft, a training fighter jet manufactured in China, crashed into the two-storey building of Milestone School and College at Diabari in Dhaka's Uttara area. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Mohammad Towkir Islam, was killed in the crash.

"At least 19 people, including the pilot, were killed and 164 injured" in the crash, said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR), the media wing of the military.The pilot attempted to steer the aircraft away from densely populated areas. However, despite his efforts, the aircraft tragically crashed into the two-storey building of the school, it added.

"All injured individuals are being promptly transported to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) and nearby hospitals for necessary treatment, with assistance from Air Force helicopters and ambulances," it said. The aircraft crashed due to a mechanical fault (the details of which will be informed after investigation) after taking off from the Bangladesh Air Force Base AK Khandaker in Kurmitola at 01:06 pm as part of a regular training, the statement said.

It said that the chief of army staff and senior military officers rushed to the crash site where rescuers, including firefighters, army troops, police and elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), continued their rescue operations. A high-level investigation committee has been formed by the Bangladesh Air Force to determine the cause of the accident, the statement added.