Death toll in Bangladesh fighter jet crash rises to 29; Indian medical team to visit Dhaka

According to the Bangladesh military, the Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft crashed into the school due to a “technical and mechanical failure.”

The death toll of the Air Force fighter jet crash in Bangladesh has risen to 29, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government Muhammad Yunus confirmed on Wednesday.

A Bangladeshi training fighter jet crashed just minutes after take off at 1.06 pm (local time) on Monday.(AFP)

A document shared by the chief advisor on X (formerly Twitter) showed that the fatality has risen to 29, while 69 others are still admitted in different hospitals due to the crash.

This updated death toll comes two days after the devastating crash, which saw a Bangladesh Air Force fighter jet crashing into the Milestone School and College campus in Dhaka on Monday. Several students were among those who died in the crash.

The crash in Bangladesh comes just a little over a month after India witnessed a similar tragedy. An Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 260 people. The Gatwick-bound Air India plane crashed seconds after taking off into a medical college campus near the airport.

‘Technical, mechanical failure’

According to the Bangladesh military, the Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft crashed into the school due to a “technical and mechanical failure.” However, a probe is underway to ascertain the exact cause.

The crash happened just minutes after the fighter jet took off at 1.06 pm (local time). It is one of the worst aviation tragedies to hit the country in recent years.

After the crash, Muhammad Yunus declared a day of national mourning in the country, which was observed on Tuesday. "The loss suffered by the Air Force, the students, parents, teachers, and staff of Milestone School and College, as well as others affected by this accident, is irreparable," he said.