The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has clarified that the aircraft which crashed into a Milestone School and College building in Dhaka’s Uttara was not a training aircraft, as previously reported by some media outlets.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, ISPR stated, “Several media reports referred to the aircraft involved in the Milestone incident as a training jet. We would like to respectfully clarify once again that it was a fully operational combat aircraft, which was on a training mission at the time of the incident.”
According to ISPR, the FT-7 BGI fighter jet took off from the Bangladesh Air Force base at Kurmitola at 1:06pm on Monday, crashing shortly afterward onto the roof of the two-storey school building.
The Fire Service and Civil Defence received the emergency alert at 1:18pm.
The Chinese-made FT-7 BGI, which is typically used for training purposes but is combat-capable, reportedly crashed due to a technical malfunction.
Immediately after the crash, a fire broke out in the building. According to the latest available information, 27 people, including the pilot, have been confirmed dead, and 78 others are undergoing treatment at various hospitals.
