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2025 Dhaka fighter jet crash

2025 plane crash in Bangladesh From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2025 Dhaka fighter jet crashmap
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On 21 July 2025, at 13:12 BST (UTC+6), a Chengdu FT-7BGI fighter jet operated by the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) crashed shortly after takeoff into the Milestone School campus in the Uttara neighbourhood of Dhaka, Bangladesh, while students were attending classes. At least 36 people were killed and 172 injured, 25 critically.

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Background

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Aircraft

Main article: List of Chengdu J-7 variants § F-7BGI

The Chengdu FT-7BGI is a 2013 trainer variant of the Chengdu J-7 Airguard, specially manufactured by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation for the BAF.[1]

It was the sixth crash of an F-7 jet in the country since a 1998 incident in Dhaka that killed the pilot.[2][3]

Pilot

Towkir Islam Sagar (Bengali: তৌকির ইসলাম সাগর) was born on 9 November 1997 in the village of Sapura in Rajshahi District. He married a lecturer at BRAC University a year before his death.[4]

Sagar studied in Govt. Laboratory High School, Rajshahi until seventh grade and completed high school at Pabna Cadet College in 2015. He was enlisted to the Bangladesh Air Force Academy on 22 December 2016 and was commissioned as flying officer on general duties (Pilot) branch on 1 December 2019. Sagar's parent squadron was No. 15 Squadron stationed at BAF Base Matiur Rahman.[5]

In Sagar's career, he was trained in the basic flying training course with No. 11 squadron and a basic jet and fighter conversion course at the No. 15 squadron. He reportedly logged over 100 hours of flight time on PT-6 trainer aircraft and another 60 hours on F-7BGI fighter aircraft. Sagar furthermore completed an "operational training in aerospace medicine (Fighter)" course in India.[6] He was promoted to flight lieutenant in 2024 and was posted as adjutant in the No. 35 squadron at BAF Base Bir Uttom A. K. Khandker.[7][8][9]

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Flight and crash

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Location of the crash site

The jet took off at 13:06 BST from BAF Base Bir Uttom A. K. Khandker.[10] Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam Sagar was on his first solo flight, and the aircraft malfunctioned shortly after takeoff.[11] The aircraft became unresponsive and stalled, and he was unable to control the plane. The control tower instructed him to eject, but due to the low altitude, ejection was not a feasible option.[12] According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), he attempted to steer the aircraft toward an open area in Diabari but was unsuccessful.[13]

Closed-circuit television footage of the crash

Video footage of the jet was captured on a CCTV recording. It crashed into the main gate of Milestone College's Haider Ali Building, entering the building on the ground floor through one side and exiting through the other.[14] Towkir was found alive and was airlifted to the coronary care unit of Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka, where he died from his injuries.[11]

The incident occurred just before a school break, while classes were still in session.[15] The aircraft struck the roof of the school's seven-storey Block 7 before directly hitting the Haider Ali Building, which at the time contained over 100 primary and secondary students.[16] The impact created a hole at the building's gate, causing a fire. Eyewitnesses heard a loud sound and saw smoke and plumes of ashes rising from the crash site.[17]

The Bangladesh Fire Service & Civil Defence reported that its crews arrived at the crash site at 13:22 BST.[18] Nine fire service units and six ambulances were deployed to the scene,[16] while two platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh were deployed to secure the area and assist in rescue operations.[19] A coach of the Dhaka Metro was used to transport victims to hospitals.[20] Authorities collected bags, shoes, and identity cards of children from the crash site.[21] Removal of the aircraft's wreckage was finished on the night of 21 July.[22]

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Casualties

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At least 36 people were killed,[23] including 32 students, three teachers and the pilot.[24] At least 173 people were undergoing treatment,[25] many with burns,[26] mostly aged below 12,[27] with at least 25 of them in critical condition.[28] At least 60 victims were hospitalized at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery,[29] while 28 were taken for treatment at the Combined Military Hospital, Dhaka.[30] Fourteen Bangladesh Army soldiers, a police officer and a firefighter were injured whilst participating in the rescue operations.[31][32]

Maherin Chowdhury, a teacher who rescued more than 20 students from the school, died from severe burn injuries in hospital.[33][34] She ran into the building repeatedly to rescue students from a burning classroom.[35]

Milestone College established a seven-member committee to determine the actual number of casualties among its students, personnel and guardians.[36] Khadija Akhter, the head teacher of Milestone's school section, said that the committee received information about five missing and unaccounted people so far from family sources, namely three students and two guardians.[37][38] Meanwhile, DNA testing was performed on six unidentified bodies.[39]

Investigation

The ISPR issued a statement that the BAF had formed a high-level committee to investigate the incident. They also attributed the accident to a mechanical fault and said that the pilot had "made every effort to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas towards a more sparsely inhabited location".[40][41][42] On July 22, BAF chief marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan also attributed the crash to a technical failure and denied that they were concealing the true death toll, adding that the BAF would provide assistance to the injured until their full recovery.[43] The High Court also asked the government to establish a technical investigative committee.[44]

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Reactions

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Domestic

A day of mourning was declared nationwide by the government of Bangladesh for 22 July,[45][46] with Bangladeshi flags to set at half-mast.[47] Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus expressed condolence and promised to hold an investigation into the crash in a video statement via Facebook.[40][48] A dedicated emergency hotline was established for victims of the disaster.[49] The interim government also announced that two teachers who died in the crash would receive state honours.[50] Following a government directive, special prayers for the victims were held in mosques nationwide on 25 July.[51]

Several government advisers and party leaders, including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the general secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), visited the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery and expressed condolence.[40] The National Citizen Party (NCP) postponed its scheduled rallies on 22 July and its senior leaders left for Dhaka in response to the crash.[52]

Bangladeshi cricketers Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, along with Pakistani cricketer Shaheen Afridi and many other sportsmen, expressed their strong concern about the disaster.[53][54] Many cultural and online personalities expressed sorrow over the incident.[55][56]

The BAF held a funeral parade at Kurmitola, Dhaka on 22 July for Towkir Islam Sagar. The ceremony was attended by Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Home Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, and the chiefs of the Bangladesh Navy and the BAF. Towkir was buried in Rajshahi,[57] and his funeral prayers were held at Rajshahi District Stadium.[58]

International

Foreign ministries, world leaders, and the embassies of Azerbaijan,[59] China,[60] India,[61] Japan,[62] Kuwait,[63] the Maldives,[64] Pakistan,[65] Russia,[66] Switzerland,[62] Turkey,[67] the United Arab Emirates,[68] the United States,[69] United Kingdom,[70] the Vatican City[70] the European Union,[62] and the United Nations[71] expressed shock over the crash and sympathy for the victims. The governments of China,[72] India,[73] and Singapore[74] sent specialized medical assistance teams in the treatment of burn patients at the request of the Bangladeshi government.

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Controversies

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Training operations over Dhaka

Aviation experts and pilots have strongly criticized the conduct of military training flights over densely populated Dhaka.[75] Aviation analyst Kazi Wahidul Alam noted that such operations pose significant risks, especially near Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, which serves both military and commercial flights.[76] BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi questioned the BAF's flight operations over such densely populated areas.[77] On 7 August, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh said that buildings in the crash area had a maximum height of 135 ft (41 m), below the maximum approved height of 150 ft (46 m).[78]

Criticism was also levelled at the use of F-7 aircraft by the BAF despite a history of crashes involving the model, with investigative journalist Zulkarnain Saer Khan citing "economic necessity, established infrastructure, and slow procurement of modern aircraft" being the reason for their continued use by the BAF. Criticism was also raised at the presence of the cantonment in central Dhaka, as well as the presence of structures in high-risk aviation zones attributed to poor urban planning and lax enforcement of zoning regulations.[79] However, Air Marshal Chief Hasan Mahmood Khan stated that it was essential to national security to have "a strong air base" in Dhaka, and urged the public to not "weaken this pillar [the Bangladesh Air Force] with rumours".[80]

Allegations of irregularities and student protests

On 22 July, students of Milestone College organized a protest at the campus in response to the crash and to allegations that access to the crash remained restricted twelve hours after the incident.[81][82] The students demanded an accurate list of casualties, an apology for an alleged assault on teachers by personnel at the crash site, compensation from the BAF to the families of the deceased students, decommissioning of outdated aircraft in favour of newer models, and a reorganization of the BAF's training procedures and training zones.[83][84] The students also alleged that the actual number of deaths was being withheld, which chief adviser Muhammad Yunus denied.[85] As of 24 July, access to the school was limited to teachers and staff members, and people searching for missing relatives who could provide proper identification.[86] Milestone College reopened on 3 August for a mourning service, with the building hit by the jet sealed off.[87] Classes at the school resumed on 6 August.[88]

Law adviser Asif Nazrul and education adviser Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar arrived at the campus on 22 July to speak with the students and called the demands logical. In response to the allegations of assault, Nazrul stated, "The government regrets the incident and will notify the army authorities to take appropriate action."[81] Due to protests, the officials were stranded inside the campus for six hours and were only able to leave through a back exit with the help of law enforcement.[89] However, they were forced to return after their motorcade ran into a blockade, and were eventually able to leave in the evening.[90]

Students also staged demonstrations in front of the Secretariat and vandalized it, demanding accountability from the interim administration over its handling of the crash and related fallout.[91] Among the key demands was the resignation of Abrar and Education Secretary Siddique Zobair, citing their failure to ensure transparency, protect student rights, and respond effectively to the crisis.[91] Later that day, the government announced Zobair's removal from office.[92] The protests culminated in clashes with security forces and vandalizing in vehicles that left 80 students, army personnel, and policemen injured.[44] Similar protests were also held at regional education board offices in Chittagong, Sylhet, Comilla, Jessore, and Dinajpur.[93]

In the aftermath of the incident, the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination scheduled for 22 and 24 July was postponed nationwide[94] and rescheduled to 17 and 19 August.[95]

On 12 August, relatives of the victims formed a human chain at Milestone College as part of a protest demanding a proper investigation into the disaster, the relocation of educational institutions from runways and moving air force training to uninhabited areas, and an end to coaching businesses in educational institutions, among others. The protesters also accused school officials of pressuring and threating them to stay silent.[96]

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Legacy

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus announced that a section of the Uttara-12 City Corporation graveyard would be reserved for the burial of the victims as a memorial to the incident.[97] Apart from this, the Ministry of Education decided to give an annual award in honour of Maherin Chowdhury to recognise teachers who perform works of bravery.[98]

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