Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reportedly resigned and fled the country in the face of ongoing protests.
Footage online shows protesters looting Hasina’s official residence in the capital Dhaka.
Some of the demonstrators were also seen carrying chairs and what looks like a sofa from the Ganabhaban residence.
The longtime leader of the country boarded a military helicopter, an aide told Al Jazeera after crowds ignored a national curfew and stormed the prime minister’s palace.
Close to 300 people have died in the weeks of protest the authorities tried to crush.
Following a night of deadly violence that killed close to 100 on Sunday, tension remained high on Monday as protesters called for a march on Dhaka and the army prepared to address the nation.
In the early afternoon, the media began reporting that the atmosphere on the streets had shifted to a celebratory one as news of Hasina’s departure spread.
Chief of Army Staff, General Waker-Uz-Zaman has canceled his planned address and is instead holding talks with major political parties, including the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
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Images on national television showed thousands of people breaking into the prime minister’s official residence.
It also showed large crowds of protesters out on the street in scenes of jubilation as the news of the departure of Hasina started spreading.
An Al Jazeera reporter from Shahbag Square, the epicenter of the student protesters, said he has “never witnessed something like this” in the capital.
“Students and families with their children out celebrating, checking if she has either left the country or resigned,” Chowdhury said.
“The government has most likely fallen, and the army will decide what the next step is, which is probably an interim government,” he added.
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