Fire burned 62% of Makin's body, only his feet were spared by his shoes

Fourteen-year-old Makin, a seventh-grader at Milestone School, lives with his family in Gazipur's Board Bazar. Every day, he commutes from there to his school in Uttara.

Standing outside the ICU ward of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery today (22 July), Makin's uncle, Suman (40), recalled the terrifying hours that followed yesterday's tragic jet crash at Milestone College campus premises.

"Makin was first taken to Uttara Adhunik Medical College Hospital in a burned state," said Suman. "From there, he was transferred to the burn institute on Monday afternoon."

"At that point, we were completely lost. We couldn't find him anywhere. We didn't know what to do," he said, his voice choking with emotion.

Suman said he contacted Makin's private tutor, who also teaches at Milestone School. "He was the one who informed us that Makin had been taken to the burn institute. We rushed there around 2:30pm."

According to Suman, Makin, who was taller than other boys his age, suffered 62% burns, including damage to his respiratory tract. "The only part of his body that remained unscathed was where his shoes were. That's the only place left intact."

Makin and his brother are being raised with utmost care by their mother, he continued, saying, "She never let them go anywhere alone. When we saw him in the ICU yesterday, he could only say, 'Amma... Amma,' nothing else."

Makin, he said, had a deep love for sports. "There's no open space to play in Gazipur," but whenever he visited his maternal grandparents' home, he'd play cricket and football all day long.

He especially loved cricket, added Suman.