'All I could see was fire, then smoke': Survivors, eyewitnesses recall Milestone plane crash

Eyewitnesses of the plane crash that took place at Milestone College said they saw bodies being removed from the scene. However, no official statement could be obtained regarding the death toll or injuries of the incident.

Now, rescue operations are being hampered as thousands gathered at the Diabari campus of Milestone College where a training aircraft crashed this afternoon (21 July).

"We transported some of the burn victims on a rickshaw and a van. Their clothes were torn, some barely hanging on. I saw people with burnt bodies walking toward rescue vehicles," said teacher Nuruzzaman Mridha.

At least 50 people, including children, were rushed to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery (NIBPS), while others were taken to emergency units at hospitals in Uttara, the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, and Bangladesh Medical College Hospital via ambulances.

"It was just before the final bell rang. The time before the primary school dismissal. Pre-primary and primary grade students were waiting at the gates. Just then, the fire broke out in front of our eyes," a teacher who survived the devastating fire narrated his ordeal to journalists at an Uttara hospital. 

"We just saw flames and smoke billowing up. There were flames all around. All I could see was fire, then smoke."

He said students were lining up to leave the school just as the final bell rang when the flames erupted.

"Both of my hands were burnt. I'm also experiencing breathing difficulties, and my face and ears are scorched.

"Later, I had rushed to the washroom to wet a piece of cloth, which I then used to cover my nose. I told the children near me to do the same. Many of their shirts had already caught fire. I told them to stay low and cover their faces. Smoke inhalation is dangerous — deadly even," he added.

"Three of my students managed to escape with  me. I wrapped one of them in the scarf I was wearing and took him to the hospital. I had nothing else to hold him with. I was in pain myself, but I tried to stay stable and keep others calm," the teacher said. 

He recalled that rescue efforts began within minutes, but the fire spread within a few seconds.

Videos circulating on social media show students at the scene with severe burn injuries.

"My son studies in class six and is inside the campus... I don't know what condition he is in," said a distressed mother at the scene.

Naimul Hasan Adit, a first-year arts student at Milestone College, witnessed the moment the training aircraft crashed.

"It first hit building number-7, then crashed into the primary school building about 100 to 150 meters from us. I saw the pilot eject with a parachute," he told TBS.

However, the pilot's whereabouts remain unknown.

The armed forces later cleared the area to carry out rescue and recovery operations, making it difficult to confirm whether anyone remained trapped at the crash site.

The charred dead body of a person was recovered, and dozens of students sustained burn injuries after a Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) training aircraft burst into flames upon impact as it crashed into a building inside the Milestone College campus at Diabari in the capital's Uttara this afternoon (21 July).

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed after it took off at 1:06pm.

Personnel from the Bangladesh Army, Fire Service and Civil Defence, police, and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) are working at the scene to rescue victims and douse the flames.