Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and fled the country in the face of ongoing protests.

The longtime leader of the country has boarded a military helicopter, an aide told Al Jazeera, after crowds ignored a national curfew to storm the prime minister’s palace in Dhaka on Monday.

Close to 300 people have died amid weeks of protest the authorities have sought to crush. Following a night of deadly violence that killed close to 100 on Sunday, tension had remained high on Monday as protesters called for a march on Dhaka and the army prepared to address the nation.

By early afternoon, however, media reported that the mood on the streets had turned to one of celebration after the news of Hasina’s departure spread.

In an address to the nation, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, the Chief of Army Staff, confirmed that the prime minister has resigned and that an interim government will now run the country.

Protests in the country started a months ago over controversial governmental job quotas. They soon morphed into a nationwide unrest and into an unprecedented uprising against Hasina and her ruling Awami League party.

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