Thousands of students protested on Tuesday during the visit of interim government officials to the crash site of a Bangladesh Air Force training jet. The death toll from what has become one of the country’s deadliest aviation accidents has risen to 31, including 25 children, reported news agency PTI.
The F-7 BGI aircraft, a Chinese-manufactured training fighter jet, experienced a “mechanical fault” moments after take-off on Monday. It subsequently crashed into a two-storey building of Milestone School and College in Dhaka’s Uttara area, according to officials.
The death toll from the crash rose to 31, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) – the military’s media wing. Earlier, the Chief Adviser’s special adviser, Saidur Rahman, told reporters that at least 25 of the deceased were children, many under the age of 12, who succumbed to extensive burn injuries. Authorities fear the toll could increase further.
Sharing the details, the ISPR stated that 16 people died at the Combined Military Hospital, 10 at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, two at Lubana General Hospital, and one each at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Uttara Adhunik Medical College Hospital, and United Hospital, PTI reported.
It added that 165 injured individuals are currently undergoing treatment at 10 hospitals across Dhaka.
Students from Milestone School and College, along with those from nearby schools, staged a protest this morning. They demanded the accurate disclosure of information regarding the casualties, compensation for victims’ families, and the immediate discontinuation of outdated and unsafe training aircraft used by the Bangladesh Air Force.
Law Adviser Asif Nazrul, Education Adviser CR Abrar, and the Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam visited the crash site, where they were confronted by agitated students shouting slogans in favour of their demands.
The advisers were forced to take shelter inside one of the school buildings. Despite security vigils by army and paramilitary troops, the students laid siege to the building where the advisers were sheltering. They alleged that the authorities were deliberately concealing the actual death toll.
However, Yunus’s office issued a statement refuting the students’ claim. “We are observing with deep concern that different quarters are spearheading a misleading campaign that the casualty figures are being concealed. We want to firmly inform all that the claim is not correct,” the statement read.
Rahman told reporters that 20 bodies have been handed over to their families so far. “We are continuing all possible efforts to provide medical care. However, the condition of some patients remains extremely critical,” Rahman informed reporters at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery (NIBPS) in the capital.
According to PTI, school authorities and hospital staff confirmed that several parents had been frantically searching for their missing children throughout the night.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh observed national mourning on Tuesday, with its national flag at half-mast atop all government, semi-government, autonomous bodies, and educational institutions across the country. The Supreme Court and all lower judiciary across Bangladesh also observed a one-minute silence.
Officials stated that the crashed aircraft is the final and most advanced variant of China’s Chengdu J-7/F-7 aircraft family. Bangladesh signed a contract for 16 such aircraft in 2011, with deliveries completed by 2013.
The Bangladesh Air Force has formed a high-level investigation committee to determine the cause of the accident, PTI reported.
The pilot attempted to steer the aircraft away from densely populated areas. However, despite his efforts, the aircraft tragically crashed into the two-storey building of the school, the ISPR confirmed.
The crash is considered one of the deadliest in Bangladesh’s history. The last such aviation tragedy in 1984 saw a total of 49 people killed when a passenger jet crashed while attempting to land during a severe rainstorm at Dhaka airport.
(With inputs from PTI)