Protesters demand answers as plane crash turned Bangladesh school into ‘death trap’

Students in Bangladesh protested on Tuesday (July 22) after an air force fighter jet crashed into a Dhaka school, killing at least 31 people, most of whom were children. The jet, which had taken off from a nearby air base on a routine training mission, suffered mechanical failure and the pilot, who was among those killed, tried to divert the aircraft away from populated areas but it crashed into the campus. The impact burst the building into flames, trapping pupils in the fire and debris. Students from the school and nearby colleges demanded answers and compensation from the government, while Bangladesh’s air force chief Hasan Mahmood Khan announced that an inquiry had been launched. Rescue workers continued to scour the charred buildings for debris on Tuesday as people, distressed, looked on. Sagor Hossain said he had been searching “like a maniac” for his niece, third‑grader Raisa Moni, who has been missing since the crash. The government announced a day of mourning, with flags at half‑mast and special prayers at all places of worship.