Bangladesh observing day of mourning after fatal jet crash at Milestone school

A day of state mourning is being observed across Bangladesh following the deadly crash of an Air Force training jet at Milestone School and College in Dhaka’s Diabari, which left many students dead and injured.

On Tuesday, the national flag has been lowered to half-mast at all government, semi-government, autonomous, and educational institutions across the country. The flag is also flying at half-mast at private buildings and Bangladeshi missions abroad.

Special prayers will be held in places of worship across all faiths for the victims, organised by the government as well as various political and social groups.

On Monday, an F-7 BGI training aircraft of the Air Force crashed onto the Milestone School and College campus during class hours. Many students inside the classrooms suffered fatal burn injuries.

Within 24 hours of the crash, the death toll rose to 27, with many of the victims succumbing to their wounds in hospital care.

In light of the tragedy, all events under the "July Reawakening" programme commemorating last year's mass uprising have been suspended for three days. Other state events have also been postponed.

A programme scheduled for 10:30am on Tuesday to mark National Fisheries Week has been postponed and will now take place at the same time on Wednesday at the China-Bangladesh Friendship Conference Centre.

The government is providing full support to all victims, as well as the families of the dead. Authorities are verifying the identities those who were killed and compiling a list, the Chief Advisor's Office (CAO) said. For bodies that remain unidentified, DNA tests are being conducted to confirm their identities.

Authorities are also striving to ensure the best possible medical care for those injured and are currently being treated in hospitals across Dhaka, the CAO added. All medical expenses related to the incident will be fully covered by the state.