CNN
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A Bangladesh Air Force jet crashed into a college in the capital Dhaka on Monday, killing at least 20 people according to the military – in the country’s deadliest air incident in recent memory.

The crash at Milestone School and College campus, in the Diabari neighborhood of northern Dhaka, injured 171 others, the Bangladesh Armed Forces said. Most of the injured are students who are being treated in hospitals in the capital, the military said.

Students were attending afternoon classes when the BAF F7 jet hit the two-story campus around 1:18 p.m. local time (3:18 a.m. EST) after a mechanical fault, according to state media BSS News, citing the country’s armed forces.

The plane’s pilot made “every effort to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas toward a more sparsely inhabited location,” the military said. The pilot was among those killed, The Associated Press reported, citing regional officials.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.

Scores of people rushed toward the crash site, where emergency crews could be seen trying to extinguish the smoking wreckage of the jet.

The government announced a day of mourning and special prayers, BSS News said.

“I express my deep grief and sorrow over the tragic incident of casualties caused by the crash,” the country’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus wrote in a post on X.

“This is a moment of profound pain for the nation. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured and direct all concerned authorities, including hospitals, to address the situation with the utmost priority,” the interim leader added.

‘I only saw fire and smoke’

Eyewitnesses, including the parents of students, recalled huge plumes of ash rising over the school – after a banging sound rang out following the deadly crash.

“When I was picking (up) my kids and went to the gate, I realized something came from behind,” Masud Tarik, also a teacher at the school, told Reuters. “I heard an explosion. When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke.”

Others watched the chaotic aftermath unfold on TV. “I was terrified watching videos,” Rafiqa Taha, a student at the facility, told The Associated Press.

“My God! It’s my school,” added the 16-year-old.

Milestone College teaches students from ages 4 to 18, according to its website.

Video from Bangladesh’s Channel 24 shows smoke billowing as firefighters spray water onto the crash site while onlookers gather around. Other rescue workers search the rubble.

Video from the hospital shows people being urgently rushed in.

A family member is heard saying his injured sister is a grade four student. Another family member told Channel 24 a first batch of victims arrived at the hospital with severe burns.

“We literally saw skin being torn off,” she said.

A young, injured girl tells Channel 24 from her hospital bed: “When we came out, we saw many students who had been charred.”

Condolences came in from across the region with Pakistan and India’s prime ministers expressing their solidarity with Bangladesh.