Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and fled the country, the army chief has said, following weeks of deadly demonstrations.

In an address to the nation on Monday, General Waker-Uz-Zaman said that an interim government will now run the country.

Hasina, who had ruled the country for two decades, boarded a military helicopter, an aide told Al Jazeera, after crowds ignored a national curfew to storm her palace in Dhaka.

The resignation comes after 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.