The sound of lessons and laughter was shattered in an instant when a thunderous crash tore through the walls of Milestone School and College, leaving behind silence, smoke, and heartbreak.
At least 19 people were killed and more than 70 injured on Monday, July 21, 2025, when a Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into a school building in Dhaka, triggering a massive emergency response and national mourning.

Bangladesh’s fire service and security personnel conduct a search and rescue operation after an Air Force training jet crashed into Milestone School and College in Dhaka on July 21, 2025 | Source: Getty Images
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The crash occurred when classes were underway. The China-made F-7 BGI aircraft slammed into the Milestone School and College building in the capital’s Uttara area. According to military officials, the jet had taken off just minutes earlier before it lost control midair and struck the three-story structure while classes were in session.
Initially, a fire official was reportedly quoted in a report by the Press Trust of India stating that the crash killed at least one person. The post, however, said more updates will be provided.
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College staff initiated rescue operations before emergency crews arrived. Rescue teams from the army, fire service, and residents then rushed in, many carrying injured children in their arms to waiting vehicles or rickshaw vans in the absence of ambulances. The plane appeared to have rammed into the front of the building, leaving a large hole and twisted metal debris behind.

Members of the Bangladesh Army and the fire service start rescue operations after a Bangladesh Air Force F7 aircraft crashed into a building of Milestone College in Dhaka’s Uttara in Dhaka, Bangladesh on July 21, 2025 | Source: Getty Images
Rafiqa Taha, a 16-year-old student who was not present at the time, reportedly told the Associated Press by phone, “I was terrified watching videos on TV. My God! It’s my school.” Milestone School and College serves approximately 2,000 students from elementary to twelfth grade.
An eyewitness video also showed thick black smoke billowing from the building as panicked students, some bleeding and burned, fled the scene.
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This marks the second time this year a Chinese-made F-7 fighter jet has crashed in the region. A similar aircraft operated by the Myanmar Air Force crashed in June, killing the pilot. Reuters reports that a military spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury, disclosed that the jet reportedly suffered a mechanical failure soon after takeoff.