The 2025 Milestone School Fighter Jet Crash in Dhaka: Uncovering Causes, Accounts, Investigations, and Impacts
Incident Overview
On July 21, 2025, a Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) Chengdu FT-7BGI fighter jet crashed directly into Milestone School and College in the Uttara neighbourhood of Dhaka. The disaster unfolded just after 1pm local time, during school hours, leading to a catastrophic loss of life and widespread trauma in the educational institution and the surrounding community. The event, which became one of the deadliest air disasters in Bangladesh’s history, provoked immediate national mourning, intense scrutiny of official protocols, and long-term debate over safety, urban planning, and aviation practices.
Table: Key Facts of the Milestone School Jet Crash
|
Date |
Aircraft Type |
Operator |
Pilot Name |
Pilot Status |
Takeoff Time |
Crash Time |
Fatalities |
Injuries |
Location |
Building Type (Hit) |
Damage Extent |
|
21 July 2025 |
Chengdu FT-7BGI |
Bangladesh Air Force |
FL Ltn Towkir Islam Sagar |
Deceased |
1:06pm |
~1:18pm |
34-36* |
150-170+ |
Milestone School & College, Uttara, Dhaka |
Two-storey academic building (Haider Ali Building), lower
impact on 7-story Block 7 |
Major fire, partial collapse, destruction of classrooms,
severe burns to occupants; collateral damage to campus |
*Note: Fatality/injury numbers vary owing to differences in reporting and subsequent updates post-DNA identification.
The aircraft, call sign THUNDERCAT 701, had departed from BAF Base Bir Uttom A. K. Khandker for a routine training flight. The crash occurred approximately 12 minutes after take-off, just before school closing hours, catching staff, students, and parents off guard and triggering widespread panic and horror.
Chronology and Immediate Disaster
The FT-7BGI, a Chinese-manufactured trainer jet, took off at 1:06pm local time from Kurmitola Air Force Base. Only minutes into the flight, mechanical problems developed. Attempts by the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam Sagar, to regain control or steer the stricken aircraft away from dense civilian areas failed, leading to an uncontrolled descent into Milestone School and College’s campus at approximately 1:18pm.
The jet clipped the roof of the seven-storey Block 7 before smashing into the two-storey Haider Ali Building, which at the time was filled with over 100 students and teachers. The resulting explosion and fire engulfed much of the structure. Debris blocked exits, trapping scores of children and staff. Flames and smoke rendered rescue efforts inside perilous and, for some, impossible.
Witnesses reported scenes of chaos: children trying to escape burning classrooms, parents desperately searching for their children, bystanders and teachers risking their lives to pull out the injured, and the campus echoing with screams.
Emergency response was rapid but challenged by the ferocity of the fire and the number of casualties. Nine fire service units were on the scene within minutes, later joined by military, police, and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). Medical evacuations involved ambulances, private vehicles, and even coaches from the Dhaka Metro Rail. Helicopters were employed to airlift critical victims, including the pilot, to hospitals.
Official Explanations by Authorities
ISPR and Air Force Statements
The Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) issued initial statements shortly after the crash, attributing the accident to a sudden mechanical failure of the aircraft. According to the ISPR, the pilot made every effort to divert the stricken jet away from heavily populated zones, attempting to target open land in Diabari. Despite this, he was unable to avoid the campus, leading to the fatal impact.
Subsequent updates from Air Force Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan reinforced the explanation of a critical technical fault (or “technical failure” in avionics/mechanical systems). The Air Force chief further emphasized that there was no attempt to hide the true casualty figures and that the BAF would continue support to the injured and bereaved until full recovery or resolution.
A high-level Air Force committee was immediately convened to investigate the crash, focusing on both the technical and operational dimensions, as well as the pilot’s actions during the disaster.
Formation of Government Investigative Commission
Within a week, the Bangladesh Cabinet Division announced the creation of a nine-member commission under former secretary AKM Zafar Ullah Khan to conduct a comprehensive investigation. The commission’s mandate encompassed the immediate cause and technical factors, accountability issues, extent of damages, legality of urban and educational construction near airports, and recommendations for systemic reforms to prevent recurrence.
The commission included aviation, mechanical engineering, and urban planning experts from BUET (Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology), the Defense Ministry, Civil Aviation, Disaster Management, and legal authorities.
Eyewitness Accounts
Eyewitness testimonies provided graphic, moving, and often harrowing details that went beyond official data:
“Fire and chaos everywhere”: Numerous students and teachers reported that the final school bell had just rung, with most classes wrapping up and hundreds of children waiting for parents or coaching sessions when the crash occurred. Flames erupted instantly, blocking escape routes and causing severe burns to children in seconds.
Teachers as ‘last responders’: Several teachers risked, and some lost, their lives trying to save trapped students. Maherin Chowdhury, for example, repeatedly entered a burning classroom, rescuing over 20 students before dying of 100% burns—a death described as “the ultimate act of sacrifice” by the school and government.
Parents and guardians: Numerous parents were present at the time, either in waiting areas or outside, many witnessing the aircraft’s approach and the ensuing catastrophe. One parent described grabbing children and pulling them out “as everything erupted in smoke and fire”.
Panic and rescue: Children were seen running, on fire or severely burned, calling for help. Many were carried out by rescuers or older students. Bystanders described a desperate effort to help before the arrival of professional teams—many victims were evacuated to hospitals using rickshaws, vans, or the arms of locals, due to the overwhelming demand for emergency vehicles.
Pilot’s ejection attempt: Accounts varied: some witnesses saw Flight Lieutenant Sagar ejecting at low altitude, his parachute reportedly not fully deploying before impact (consistent with fatal injury post-ejection).
Trauma of survivors: Survivors, particularly children, recounted nightmares, lingering fears, and the feeling their “school [had] turned into a death trap in an instant.” The physical scars were often matched by emotional ones, sparking community-wide demands for long-term trauma care.
Investigative Findings
Technical Causes and Aircraft Condition
The Chengdu FT-7BGI is a 2013 Chinese-made advanced variant of the MiG-21, introduced to Bangladesh between 2011-2013 as a training and light combat jet. Bangladesh has operated F-7/J-7 variants since the 1980s, but these aircraft are widely regarded as outdated and were fully retired from Chinese service two years prior to the Dhaka accident.
Recurrent Mechanical Issues:
- Globally, several crashes involving F-7 variants had been reported in the years prior, including fatal mishaps in Zimbabwe, Iran, China, and Pakistan.
- Aviation experts and BAF insiders recognized the relatively high accident rate of these planes compared to newer models, citing “economic necessity, established infrastructure, and slow procurement of modern aircraft” as reasons for continued use despite risks.
BAF’s Maintenance and Protocols:
- The aircraft involved was declared “airworthy” for routine training operations, according to military protocols, including all scheduled maintenance. Still, the incident exposed deep systemic vulnerabilities with aging fleets and complex maintenance regimes, fueling both national and international criticism.
Pilot’s Background and Decision-making
Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam Sagar, aged 27, was a trained BAF pilot, with 100+ hours on PT-6 trainers and 60 hours on F-7BGI, having completed further operational training in India. This flight was reportedly his first solo sortie on the type from the Bir Uttom AK Khandker base after previous instructor-led and simulator sessions.
The control tower advised the pilot to eject when the aircraft became unresponsive/stalled, but the low altitude and rapid progression of the emergency rendered safe ejection nearly impossible. Investigators confirmed Sagar tried to avoid a crowded crash site, but structural density in Uttara left limited maneuver options. His ejection, at around 100 feet, was unsuccessful, leading to fatal injuries.
Urban Planning and Structural Safety
Official, academic, and urban planning investigations highlighted that Milestone School and College—while legally built—was located within the approach area of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, an airport now consumed by surrounding high-density urban growth.
- The Detailed Area Plan (DAP) in Dhaka only regulates building heights (up to 10 stories or 150 feet in the approach area) but lacks stringent land use or occupancy rules, leading to the clustering of schools, residences, and commercial buildings in what should be a controlled ‘safety buffer’ zone.
- Planners, public figures, and aviation experts stated that schools, hospitals, and any places of large public gathering should never be positioned within airport approach corridors, a standard outlined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and widely followed globally but poorly enforced locally.
- Multiple reports called for immediate reassessment of airbase location, building permit practices near airports, and the relocation of high-occupancy public facilities out of aviation approach paths.
Operational Flight Practices
Numerous experts criticized the continued practice of conducting military training operations over densely populated urban areas such as Dhaka, a city that has expanded massively since the original siting of the airbase. While initial and advanced training is supposed to occur in less crowded areas, pilots transferred to Dhaka for unit duty must still conduct city-based training sorties on home-assigned aircraft.
Veteran pilots highlighted the near-impossibility of finding non-residential crash zones within current city boundaries and called for urgent relocation of non-essential aviation activities outside metropolitan centers and stricter separation of civilian and military air traffic at airports like Hazrat Shahjalal International.
Weather and Environmental Factors
Weather on the day was seasonally typical: hot (32-34°C), humid (81%), with light haze but no significant precipitation reported in the city during the relevant hour. Visibility was normal; wind speed averaged 13.9 km/h, not considered a hazardous condition for flight. No meteorological anomalies have been cited by official sources as a contributing factor, and, according to accident reports, the cause remains rooted in mechanical failure rather than environmental phenomena.
Impact on Milestone School and Community
Human Toll
Fatalities officially ranged from 29 to 36, with most reports settling on 34 after DNA review and identification correction, and over 150 injured—most critically with burns or emotional trauma.
Most of the dead and injured were children aged under 15, with a devastating number of upper primary schoolers and their teachers among the casualties. The death of Maherin Chowdhury, the heroic teacher, was widely memorialized with the institution of a new national award for teachers who show bravery in the line of duty.
Disruption to Education and Daily Life
Milestone School and College, located in Diabari (Uttara), closed for weeks following the accident. The affected building was sealed off, and classes were suspended for all grades. Counseling centers, trauma support camps, and temporary medical facilities were quickly set up, while students, parents, and teachers participated in multiple mourning and memorial events.
Resumption of classes occurred on August 6, under heavy psychological strain for students and staff. The upcoming Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination was postponed nationwide, with over 100,000 candidates directly affected due to the disaster’s impact on the region’s educational infrastructure.
Psychological and Social Trauma
The psychological burden has been immense. Students described nightmares, anxiety about returning to school, and deep survivor's guilt. Parents expressed lasting fear and reluctance to allow children to attend institutions so close to flight paths. Mental health professionals forecast long-term effects—including post-traumatic stress—in both immediate survivors and the wider Uttara neighbourhood.
Economic and Structural Damage
The physical impact destroyed much of the targeted building and damaged adjacent structures. Infrastructure repairs, emergency cleanups, and campus rehabilitation are ongoing. The institution faces liability claims and ongoing legal scrutiny over its site selection and compliance with national and city planning regulations.
Public Protests and Demands for Reform
Students and families staged weeks of protests—sometimes resulting in confrontations with security forces—demanding a comprehensive investigation, transparent casualty reporting, the relocation of military flights and training, decommissioning of old jets like the FT-7BGI, and direct compensation for victims’ families.
Six-point and nine-point demand lists circulated, including:
- Publication of accurate and full casualty lists.
- Apologies for alleged mistreatment by some authorities during the immediate aftermath.
- State and school-provided compensation (ranging from Tk 1-5 crore per deceased or injured child).
- Transparency in the release of CCTV footage.
- End to contentious “coaching” businesses on campus, alleged to have kept children on-site longer.
- Relocation of the school or Air Force flying zone.
- Prosecution of those believed responsible for safety lapses.
Many demands found support from civil society, educational leaders, rights organizations, and aspects of the interim government, leading to ongoing policy reviews at several levels.
Casualties and Damage Assessment
Human Impact
- Fatalities: Ultimately, 34 confirmed dead as perthe latest DNA-verified reports, including 32 students, 1 pilot, and 1 teacher (at minimum, as figures varied by day and reporting body).
- Injuries: Over 150, many with severe burns; youngest victims under 10, with a majority below age 15; dozens remain hospitalized or in critical care at leading national medical centers.
- Psychological Trauma: Large numbers treated for post-traumatic stress, grief, and panic disorders, with long-term support in place for dozens of children and adults.
Infrastructure
- Campus Damage: Two buildings suffered major fire and impact damage (complete destruction of portions of the Haider Ali Building), and adjacent campus areas were scorched or structurally compromised. Repairs are still ongoing as of mid-August 2025.
Emergency and Response Personnel
Fourteen Bangladesh Army soldiers, one police officer, and one firefighter were injured during rescue operations, a testament to the intensity of the fire and complexity of the search-and-evacuation mission.
Emergency Response and Rescue Operations
The emergency response is widely regarded as swift and decisive, with nine fire service units, six ambulances, Border Guard Bangladesh, the Army, and local police on site within 10-15 minutes of the crash.
- Triaging and Transport: The injured were quickly triaged on-site and routed to hospitals across Dhaka. Initial crowding of onlookers and widespread panic briefly hampered access for emergency vehicles, but order was restored rapidly.
- Rescue Difficulties: Fires, blocked exits, thick smoke, and the maze-like structure of the buildings frustrated early rescue efforts. Some victims were carried out by hand or on makeshift stretchers using rickshaws and private vehicles before proper medical staff could access the site.
- Medical Facilities: National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, CMH, and several Uttara- and city-based hospitals were designated for various types of trauma wounds and psychological treatment. Many burn victims required advanced specialist care and ventilator support.
- Teacher Bravery: Repeatedly, teachers risked their own safety to evacuate students, one (Maherin Chowdhury) dying from injuries after multiple rescue runs into burning rooms.
Legal and Regulatory Inquiries
High Court and Regulatory Petitions
The High Court responded to multiple public interest writs:
- On July 22, it ordered the creation of a technical expert committee to investigate the crash, encompassing causality, administrative failings, and compensation/remedial action needs.
- Additional petitions sought bans on new high-rise structures near runways, stricter review and enforcement by the Civil Aviation Authority and RAJUK, and mandatory compensation for victims. Some of these petitions were dropped or delayed due to overlaps with standing rules from other courts.
The court also directed media outlets and online entities to blur images and videos of the injured or deceased children, acknowledging the psychological toll of graphic content on survivors and their families.
Urban Planning Reform
The Bangladesh Institute of Planners concluded the school, though lawfully built on paper, sat in the approach zone—a clear violation of international best practices. Multiple planners called for immediate or eventual relocation of all high-density public gathering sites from airport corridors, as well as prosecution of parties responsible for lax enforcement or improper approvals.
International and local observers pressed for comprehensive zoning law reform in Dhaka and other developing Bangladesh cities to prevent recurrence, recognizing that past “invisible” violations now have had deadly, visible results.
Media Coverage and Public Reaction
National Mourning and Messaging
The government declared July 22 a day of state mourning. Flags were flown at half-mast, all Bangladeshi missions abroad held special prayers, and a national hotline was established for affected families.
Political leaders from across the spectrum—including the Chief Advisor, President, BNP leadership, and former Prime Ministers—visited survivors, attended funerals, or made public condolence statements, framing the loss as “irreparable” and “a moment of profound grief for the nation”.
Sports and cultural figures, along with international embassies and prominent organizations, sent solidarity messages, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs managing ongoing outreach for offers of medical and logistical support.
Calls for Accountability and Reform
Numerous commentators—academic, political, and public—questioned the very basis for military flyovers, the continued operation of outmoded aircraft, the location of critical infrastructure in safety zones, and the slow progress toward relocation of airbases or the remodeling of urban planning practices in Bangladesh.
Parents, teachers, and activists called for judicial inquiries, whistleblower protection, legal reforms, and greater transparency in school administration, building approvals, and aviation sector procurement. Social media channels erupted in anger, sorrow, and the spread of misinformation, prompting official countermeasures and fact-checking campaigns.
Historical Context: F-7 Jet Incidents in Bangladesh
The FT-7BGI crash was the sixth major F-7 accident involving the Bangladesh Air Force since the late 1990s. Some notable prior incidents:
- 1998: An F-7 crashed in Dhaka, killing the pilot.
- 2015: A Fatal crash at Rajshahi killed another pilot.
- 2017: Cox’s Bazar, two Russian-made Yak-130s crashed in a training session (all pilots survived).
- 2018: Tangail crash involving a BAF training aircraft, the pilot died.
- May 2025: Zimbabwean Air Force F-7 crash, pilot dead (international context).
- Other incidents of F-7s in Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, and China have underscored the checkered global record of the model and growing questions about export reliability and airworthiness.
Repeated calls for modernization of the BAF’s jet fleet and for separation of military and civilian flight operations grew even more urgent in the aftermath of the Milestone disaster.
Expert Analyses and Commentary
Experts from aviation, air force training, and urban planning domains provided vital assessments:
- Aviation risk: Military and civilian pilots, along with analysts, repeatedly emphasized that high-speed, high-density aviation training over an urban dense city like Dhaka invites “unavoidable, statistically certain disaster” absent structural change in training practices and air traffic separation.
- Urban planners identified “decades of creeping legal and regulatory non-compliance,” with building and urban expansion policies failing to recognize the hazards of clustering public institutions in approach zones. Strict relocation of at-risk facilities and severe penalties for bureaucratic negligence were universally recommended.
- Military procurement analysts pointed out the urgent need for BAF fleet modernization, more rigorous maintenance protocols, and the acceleration of new airbase construction outside of city cores, while systematically decommissioning old craft prone to mechanical failure.
International Aid and NGO Responses
Humanitarian and Medical Response
The scale of burns and trauma exceeded the immediate capacity of Dhaka hospitals—prompting an international emergency medical response:
- Indian, Chinese, and Singaporean Medical Teams: Within days, physicians and nurses from these countries arrived in Dhaka to provide expert burn care and post-traumatic counseling, supplementing national emergency teams. Indian Prime Minister Modi, the Chinese Foreign Ministry, and Singapore’s medical delegations coordinated directly with Bangladesh’s Health Ministry and the Prime Minister’s office for logistics and patient prioritization.
- Save the Children and NGOs: Issued urgent calls for ramped-up child-centered emergency response protocols and psychosocial support networks, reminding authorities that psychological as well as physical harm must be addressed long-term.
- Offers for further assistance: Japan, Kuwait, the Vatican, the UN, the European Union, and numerous world leaders sent formal condolences alongside pledges to support recovery and resilience-building efforts in Bangladesh.
Solidarity and Mourning
- Vigils, memorial events, and state funerals (notably for Flight Lt. Sagar and Maherin Chowdhury) drew large domestic and foreign dignitary attendance.
- The government dedicated a portion of the Uttara-12 City Corporation graveyard as a permanent memorial site for the victims, and an annual teacher bravery award was created in Maherin Chowdhury’s name.
Recommendations and Systemic Reforms
The ongoing official investigation and related studies have already produced interim policy and legislative recommendations:
- Relocation/replanning of military aviation training away from densely populated zones, employing simulation and remote-area exercises.
- Strict land use/zoning audits for all educational, hospital, and public institutions within 5 km of Bangladesh’s airport runways—ensuring phase-out or relocation of those posing mass casualty risk.
- Heightened enforcement of building code compliance, with severe penalties for municipal/ministerial officials or developers found to have willfully violated aviation safety regulations.
- Fleet modernization for the Air Force, including expedited decommissioning of high-accident-risk aircraft and accelerated import/acquisition of new-generation trainers and interceptors.
- Equipped trauma and burn units in major hospitals, with international partnerships for training in large-scale disaster response, especially for children.
- Expansion of trauma counseling and support services at schools and in affected neighbourhoods, particularly for child survivors and bereaved families.
- Mandatory public transparency in crisis response and investigation findings, coupled with whistleblower protection for officials or staff raising safety concerns.
Conclusion
The 2025 Milestone School fighter jet crash stands as a multilayered tragedy rooted in technical, operational, regulatory, and structural shortcomings—and a powerful catalyst for reform. The immediate technical cause (mechanical failure of an outdated training jet) was compounded by operational vulnerabilities (inadequate options for safe emergency landings, pilot limitations at low altitude), urban planning lapses (the presence of a large educational institution in a flight approach zone), and systemic incapacity to enforce international best practices in urban zoning and aviation safety.
Official action has so far centered on thorough investigation, high-level policy review, prosecutions, and disciplinary measures for regulatory failures, and a national debate about how to reconcile urban growth with modern safety in a megacity that can no longer afford to host military aviation at its heart. The tragedy has exposed long-standing contradictions in Bangladesh’s development, planning, and defense doctrines, juxtaposed with national and international resolve to avert its repetition.
The human cost—especially for children—remains incalculable, with survivors and families requiring years of recovery and community support. Yet, out of heartbreak and loss, there is a collective demand—from students, planners, health professionals, international allies, and civil society—for a safer, more transparent, and more accountable future for Bangladesh’s children and cities.
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