Milestone aircraft crash: 5 in critical condition

Two more burn victims, both children, from the fighter jet crash at Milestone School and College succumbed to their injuries yesterday, Friday. They were undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit (ICU) of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. The death toll increased to 33 with that till Friday.

The deceased were identified as Musabbir Makin, 13 and Afrose Aiman, 10. Mussabbir was in the seventh grade while Afrose was in the fourth.

As of Friday, 15 burn victims have died at the burn institute. Speaking to Prothom Alo on Friday, burn institute resident physician Shawon Bin Rahman said Musabbir had 70 per cent burn injuries and Afrose had 45 per cent.

As per the official figures of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the death toll stands at 33 at the time of preparing this report. All the bodies, except two, have been identified. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police confirmed identities of three children and two guardians through DNA tests on Thursday.

The DGHS said in another update that 40 patients were undergoing treatment at the Burn Institute as of 4:15 pm yesterday. In addition, 10 others were receiving treatment at three different hospitals — eight at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka, one at Shaheed Monsur Ali Medical College Hospital, and one at the National Institute of Mental Health. In total, 50 injured victims remain hospitalised.

Yesterday afternoon, National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery director professor Nasir Uddin spoke to newspersons reporters about the condition of the burn victims undergoing treatment at the institute. He said five patients in critical condition were undergoing treatment in the ICU. Ten others, categorised as severe cases, were also under close observation, while another 10 were in the intermediate category and placed in post-operative care. Additionally, 15 patients were receiving treatment at cabins.

Sources say the burn victims are receiving treatment under the supervision of specialists from various fields. Medical teams from Singapore, China and India have also joined the effort. They are sharing their experience and expertise with local specialists and directly attending to the patients daily. Subsequently, some of the patients have shown signs of improvement.

Speaking about this to newspersons yesterday, burn institute director prof Nasir Uddin said, “It's great news that the condition of two patients who were on life support has slightly improved. They have been taken off ventilators and are breathing normally. Four to five patients are likely to be discharged on Saturday.”

Meanwhile, the entrance of Milestone School and College in Diabari, Uttara was still crammed with onlookers yesterday who came to see the site where the fighter jet had crashed. Security personnel were seen controlling the crowd by restricting entries around 10:30 am Friday. Groups of eight to 10 people were being allowed to go inside every five to seven minutes.

A fighter jet of Bangladesh crashed into one of the buildings of Milestone School last Monday, leaving several people dead and injured. Since then, crowds of curious onlookers have continued to gather at the site. However, on Wednesday and Thursday, the college authorities restricted entry, not allowing even journalists.

However, the restrictions were lifted Friday morning. Security guards stationed at the college's main gate were allowing curious visitors to enter. However, they were not allowing newspersons to enter the premises.

A security guard stationed at the main gate told Prothom Alo, “How long can you hold such a massive number of people. To cope with the pressure, the authorities told us Thursday to let people enter on a limited scale. They will exit through gate-4. However, we have been instructed to not allow the media inside the campus.”

Speaking to several people visiting the site, it was learnt that the building that caught fire has been fenced off with tins with a small entry to go inside. Milestone School and College staff members were seen asking the crowd to leave the premises promptly.

Around 11:30 am, this correspondent spoke to Ershad Ali outside the campus. He had just come out of the school premises. He was accompanied by his son of about 8 to 10, Abdur Rahman Siam. They live in Azimpur, Dhaka. He said they have seen the exact spot of the plane crash and the damaged school building.

By the afternoon, the crowd of onlookers began to swell. Around 5:00 pm, their entry was halted. People then gathered in front of the school gate, shouting and creating a commotion. Some even struck the gate. In response, student volunteers attempted to block the crowd by placing a bamboo pole near the entrance.

Resuming normal academic activities at Milestone School and College will be challenging, said Milestone School and College principal Mohammad Ziaul Alam. Speaking to Prothom Alo yesterday, he said the plane crashed right in front of the students. They are still traumatised.

The principal also noted that the closure of the institution for several days had disrupted academic activities.

“Bringing students back to the classroom and making up for the gap is a major challenge,” he said, adding that various initiatives, including counselling, have been taken to support the students.