BAF jet crash at Milestone school: At least 20 including children, pilot dead; 171 hospitalised
Dozens of people with burns and other injuries have been admitted to different nearby hospitals and to CMH, DMCH, and NIBPS, where they are currently receiving treatment.
Highlights:
- BAF training jet crashed at Milestone College's Diabari campus in Uttara
- At least 20 dead, including children and the jet's pilot
- Over 171 injured, many with critical burns
- Crash caused by technical failure after takeoff
- The jet hit the school just after classes ended
- Fire brought under control within an hour
- Army, BGB, and Fire Service led rescue, salvage efforts
- Pilot ejected but succumbed to injuries at CMH
At least 20 people, including children, were killed and more than 170 people were injured after a Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) training aircraft burst into flames after crashing into the primary school 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 from BAF Base Bir Uttom AK Khandker at 1:06pm. Soon after, the fighter jet faced a technical malfunction and went down.
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Soon after, personnel from the Bangladesh Army, Fire Service and Civil Defence, police, and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) rushed to the scene and started working jointly to rescue the victims and douse the flames.
Firefighters reached the scene at around 1:22pm -- four to five minutes after the plane crashed between 1:10pm and 1:15pm.
Dozens of injured people were rushed to different nearby hospitals and to Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), and the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery (NIBPS), where they are receiving treatment.
Those admitted to NIBPS include victims with burn injuries ranging from 5% to 100%. Eight of them are in critical condition.
7 bodies unidentified, DNA test to confirm identities
At a media briefing around 8pm, Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser, said seven bodies remain unidentified, and DNA samples will be collected to confirm their identities.
"Three burn victims have died at the burn institute, and the confirmed death toll currently stands at 17 but the number may vary," he said.
However, he mentioned that there are slight inconsistencies in the reported number of deaths.
Sayedur said 88 people have been admitted to seven hospitals following the devastating plane crash.
Of them, he said 25 are in critical condition, primarily being treated at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery and the Combined Military Hospital (CMH).
He stated that nine patients are in intensive care units (ICUs), and starting tomorrow, blood donations will be collected to support ongoing treatment.
"CMH is currently less crowded, so the risk of infection is lower," Rahman noted, adding, "All critical cases are in the burn institute. Infections could complicate their condition further."
He added that more than 100 children were burnt in the incident. "While a few have returned home after treatment, most remain hospitalised."
Sayedur also stated that of the 17 confirmed dead, all are children.
He added, "Based on our current assessment, we have the capacity to provide necessary treatment within the country. If needed, patients will be sent abroad for further care."
Eight injured people are admitted at the Kuwait Bangladesh Friendship Hospital, 70 at NIBPS, three at DMCH, 17 at CMH, one at Kurmitola General Hospital, 11 at Lubana General Hospital and Cardiac Centre, 60 at Uttara Adhunik Hospital, and one at Uttara Crescent Hospital, according to an ISPR statement issued at 5:25pm.
Also, it said, there are two dead bodies at NIBPS, one at DMCH, 12 at CMH, two at Kurmitola General Hospital, two at Lubana General Hospital and Cardiac Centre, and one at Uttara Adhunik Hospital.
Briefing reporters at the crash site amid the rescue operation, Fire Service Director General Brig Gen Md Jahed Kamal said that they have recovered 19 bodies from the school compound so far, and the salvage efforts are still ongoing.
The rescue operation officially came to a halt after evening, said Talha bin Zasim, media officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defence.
Earlier, ISPR also confirmed that the aircraft's pilot, identified as Flight Lieutenant Md Towkir Islam of the BAF, had succumbed to his injuries -- taking the death toll to 19.
Towkir had managed to bail out when the plane went down. With critical injuries, he was taken to the CMH, where he passed away while undergoing treatment.
According to the Fire Service, nine firefighting units from Uttara, Tongi, Pallabi, Kurmitola, Mirpur, and Purbachal fire stations brought the fire under control at around 2:45pm, while six ambulances transported victims to the hospitals.
Fire Service DG Jahed Kamal said, "The fire has been fully extinguished, and a crane has been brought in to remove the rear section of the aircraft from the wreckage."
"The total extent of the damage will be assessed and announced after the completion of rescue operations," he said.
According to eyewitnesses, the body of one person -- burned beyond recognition -- was recovered from the scene soon after the crash.
"We transported some of the injured with burns onto rickshaws and vans. Their clothes were ripped apart, torn, and some even were walking towards rescue vehicles with burn injuries on their bodies," said Nuruzzaman Mridha, a teacher of the institute.
Further details regarding all the deceased from the authorities concerned are yet to be available. Fire Service DG Jahed said, "We have not yet been able to identify the deceased individuals. The investigation is ongoing."
Naimul Hasan Adit, a first-year arts student of Milestone College, saw the fighter jet first hit Building No 7, which houses classes of the college students. "Then it crashed into the primary school building, around 100-150 meters away from us.
"The pilot ejected from the plane with a parachute and got down while the primary school building caught fire," he told TBS.
The building on which the aircraft crashed hosted classes for children from playgroup to grades 1-8 and a canteen, according to students.
Talking to The Business Standard, Sabbir Ahmed, a cleaner at a nearby Dhaka Metro Rail station who witnessed the incident, said, "I saw two aircraft flying. One flew away, but the other looked like it was in trouble.
"It tried to turn to line up with the [Dhaka airport] runway, but while turning at a low altitude, it hit a 10-12-storey building on the Milestone College campus and then crashed into the two-storey primary school building."
A firefighter, currently involved in the rescue operations, told TBS that many students sustained burn injuries -- from minor to critical -- after the aircraft crashed and caused the fire.
According to witnesses, the aircraft crashed into the building just as students were coming after classes ended and the school day was over.
Fire Service DG Jahed said the first floor of the building, in which the plane crashed, housed classrooms for third and fourth-grade students, while the second floor contained second and fifth-grade classrooms, the principal's office, a meeting room, and a coaching centre.
The official said that although school had ended at the time of the crash, some students were still present near the teachers' room, and it is believed a few parents may have been with them.
