Dhaka, Bangladesh. A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into a school campus in the capital, Dhaka, shortly after takeoff on Monday, killing at least 19 people, including the pilot, and injuring more than 100 others, officials said.

According to military and fire officials, the Chinese-made F-7 BGI aircraft crashed into the campus of Milestone School and College in the Uttara neighborhood in the afternoon as students were attending classes.

The military said the jet took off at 1:06 p.m. local time and crashed soon after, immediately catching fire. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.

It was the deadliest airplane crash in the Bangladeshi capital in recent memory.

Local media reported that most of the injured were students. Relatives rushed to the scene in panic as rescuers used rickshaws and any available means to transport the injured to nearby hospitals.

A desperate scene unfolded as local residents and rescuers carried wounded students on their laps, while worried parents ran frantically. One father was seen sprinting with his daughter cradled in his arms. A mother cried out after finding her younger child, while still searching desperately for her older one.

Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, pledged an investigation into the crash and expressed deep sorrow over the “heartbreaking accident” at Milestone School and College.

In a statement, Yunus lamented the “irreparable” loss suffered by “Air Force personnel, students, parents, teachers, staff, and others,” calling it “a moment of deep national grief.”

Rafiqa Taha, a student who was not present at the time of the crash, told The Associated Press by phone that the school, with about 2,000 students, offers classes from elementary through twelfth grade.

“I was terrified watching the videos on TV,” the 16-year-old said. “My God! It’s my school.”

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