Dhaka: At least 19 people have been killed after a Bangladesh Air Force jet crashed into a private school campus in the south Asian country's capital city on Monday. It is the deadliest airplane crash in the Bangladeshi capital in recent memory.

The F-7 BGI jet, a variant of a Chinese fighter, crashed into the campus of the Milestone School and College, in the Uttara neighborhood of the Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka.

At least 19 people have died, including the pilot, according to military and a fire official. More than 160 people have been injured.

Officials described the plane as a training aircraft. The military said the jet took off at 1:06 pm. local time and crashed soon after, catching fire immediately. The cause was not immediately clear.

The cause of the crash is being investigated.

The crash happened on the campus of Milestone, a school with some 2,000 students. It describes itself as having more than two decades of experience as a leading private educational institution.

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

The school says it has a focus on extracurricular activities, career counseling and “global opportunities.”

The Uttara neighborhood is in northern Dhaka, a metropolitan area of more than 20 million people.

Details are still emerging. Officials have said the pilot is among the dead. Local media reports said many of the 160 injured were students who were on campus for afternoon classes.

(AP inputs)