Death toll from Milestone jet crash rises to 35

NN Online:
Two more victims, including a student and a school staffer, died from burn injuries on Friday, pushing the death toll from the Milestone School and College jet crash to 35.

Thirteen-year-old student Zarif died at 9:10am while undergoing treatment at the ICU of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery (NIBPS), followed by Masuma (38), a school ayah, at 10:15am. Zarif had suffered 40% burns, while Masuma had 90%, according to Dr Shawon Bin Rahman, Residential Surgeon at NIBPS.

So far, 17 victims have died at NIBPS, one at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, 15 at Combined Military Hospital (CMH), and one at Shaheed Monsur Ali Medical College Hospital.

NIBPS Director Dr Nasir Uddin said that four to five crash victims may be discharged soon as their conditions have improved. Currently, 38 patients are being treated at the facility, with three in critical condition in the ICU.

The crash occurred Monday when an FT-7 fighter jet of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into a two-storey building of the school in Uttara shortly after takeoff, reportedly due to a mechanical failure. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam, also lost his life in the crash.