Military jet crashes into school sparking explosion and killing at least 20 as vid shows crowds rush to blazing wreck

AT least 20 people have been killed after a military fighter jet crashed into a private school campus in Bangladesh and sparked a terrifying explosion.

An Air Force F-7 BGI training aircraft smashed into the school canteen in the country’s capital Dhaka – leaving more than 150 people severely injured.

Shocking footage of the aftermath of the crash showed a huge fire near a lawn emitting a thick plume of smoke into the sky, as crowds rushed to the scene.

Injured survivors were rushed to a military hospital in the area after the plane crashed into Milestone School and College.

The plane reportedly crashed on the roof of the college canteen, as per local outlet Prothom Alo.

More than 164 people, including children and adults, were hospitalised with burns, according to BBC Bangladesh.

Most of the injured people are understood to be students and many of whom are in critical condition, hospital authorities have said.

The pilot of the plane died in the crash, the military confirmed, adding that the plane was a training aircraft.

They also revealed that the pilot attempted to avoid densely populated areas – but tragically smashed into a two-story building.

The aircraft is said to have experienced a technical malfunction, the military added.

A high-level Air Force committee will now probe the circumstances of the fatal crash.

The plane took off from the Bangladesh Air Force Base A.K. Khandaker in Dhakas Kurmitola neighborhood at 1:06pm local time.

It and crashed soon after, exploding into a huge fireball which tore through the campus and sent smoke billowing into the air.

Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh’s interim government, said “necessary measures” would be taken to investigate the cause of the accident and “ensure all kinds of assistance”.

“The loss suffered by the Air Force…students, parents, teachers and staff, and others in this accident is irreparable,” he added.

The Bangladeshi government has now declared national mourning on Tuesday following the fatal crash.

A spokesman for the college said: “The plane fell on the gate and crashed nearby while a class was in session.”

The Bangladesh Army‘s public relations office confirmed in a brief statement that the downed F-7 BGI aircraft belonged to the Air Force.

F-7 BGI is a Chinese-made multi-role fighter jet that was acquired by the Bangladeshi Air Force in the early 2010s.

Milestone School and Campus is attended by some 2,000 students.

It describes itself as having more than two decades of experience as a leading private educational institution.

It comes just weeks after an Air India passenger flight with 242 people on board smashed into a doctors’ hostel in Ahmedabad in the west of India.

The plane was headed to London Gatwick with 232 passengers and 10 crew on board when it crashed just seconds after take-off.

The Dreamliner lost contact just seconds after take-off, according to flight tracking website Flightradar.

Seconds before the crash, the Boeing was filmed flying low over the Meghani Nagar residential area with the pilots appearing to be in a desperate bid to keep the plane in the air.

Moments later, it was seen disappearing behind buildings before a huge blast was seen in the distance.

Brit passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was the sole survivor of the fatal crash.

He cheated death after being flung from seat 11A on the flaming Air India jet – escaping with minor injuries and filmed walking away after the wreck.

Incredible footage showed him walking away from the wreckage almost unscathed.

Flanked by the locals, he can be seen making his way towards an ambulance with blood caking his face.

Speaking in Hindi, he says: “I just got out of the plane, it exploded.”