Uttara: The Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) has announced the completion of the rescue operation following a Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) FT-7 BGI fighter aircraft crash into a building at Milestone School and College in the Uttara area of the capital, resulting in 20 fatalities and 171 injuries.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the FSCD's media cell officer-in-charge, Md Shajahan Sikder, confirmed that the rescue operation concluded at 8:30 pm. A unit remained on-site until the debris from the crash was cleared, with the team returning to their station at 9:10 pm.
The FSCD initiated the rescue efforts at 1:22 pm after receiving news of the crash at 1:18 pm. Throughout the operation, they successfully rescued 116 injured individuals and recovered 19 bodies from the scene.
A total of 186 FSCD personnel were assigned to carry out the rescue mission. The ISPR press release reported that at least 20 people, including pilot Flight Lieutenant Toukir Islam, were killed, and 171 others were injured in the incident.
The crash was attributed to a mechanical fault, the specifics of which will be disclosed following an investigation. The aircraft had taken off from the Bangladesh Air Force Base AK Khandaker in Kurmitola at 01:06 pm as part of a routine training exercise.