AI image does not accurately depict Bangladesh plane crash

"Pray for all the students at Milestone School and College. May you be safe," reads a July 21, 2025 X post that shared the image.

At least 34 people, mostly children, were killed and more than 170 people were injured when a Bangladeshi fighter jet crashed into the private Milestone School and College in Dhaka just as pupils had been let out of class (archived link).

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Screenshot of the false X post taken on July 22, 2025, with a red X added by AFP

Similar posts also surfaced on Instagram but the image does not correctly portray the crash.

AFP photos show the crash site show the damaged Milestone School and College building as a two-storey structure, not the high rise depicted in the circulating visual. 

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AFP photo of the plane crash site in Dhaka (AFP / Abdul Goni)

Siwei Lyu, director of Media Forensic Lab at the University at Buffalo, analysed the image and told AFP it has "a high likelihood of being AI-generated" (archived link). 

"The plane's position is far from the building and unnatural -- it should tip downward or twist under its own weight when lodged," Lyu said on July 25, 2025,

"There's no damage or debris below the impact zone, and the inconsistent window grid is another giveaway. These are clear signs of AI generation." 

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Screenshots shared by Siwei Lyu to AFP showing the visual inconsistencies

Despite the meteoric rise in AI technology, visual errors still appear in inauthentic images.

AFP has debunked more misinformation related to the Bangladesh fighter jet crash here and here.

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