Uttara aircraft crash: Eyewitness account of Milestone plane crash by a teacher

A teacher from Milestone School and College in the city’s Uttara has given a vivid account of the deadly crash of a training aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force that occurred on Monday.

The training fighter jet crashed into a two-storey building on the school campus, sparking a massive fire. So far, 27 people are confirmed dead and over 150 injured. The nation is observing a day of mourning today, Tuesday, in memory of the victims.

Taslima Akter, a lecturer in the school’s management department, was on campus during the crash. Her own son was trapped in the building that was hit.

She shared her account in a Facebook post titled “The horrific 21 July 2025,” which we are publishing with her permission:

"My son is Masnun Rahman Sinan, a student of Class-IV at Milestone College’s Diabari branch.

As per the usual routine, school ends at 1:00 pm. I had invigilation duty in Room No. 804 of Building-4. After my duty was over, I intended to go to the building where my son attends his classes to pick him up, but then thought I’d take a short rest; as usual, he will come to the teacher’s room on his own for me.

I was resting in the teachers’ room. At 1:11 pm, my son’s form master, Babul Sir, phoned to inform me that Sinan’s class would end at 1:40 pm today. I asked him to send Sinan to the teachers’ room on the second floor of Building-7 after class. Just as I hung up the phone, I heard what sounded like a bomb blast - and from the window I saw flames right outside my son’s building.

My senior colleague Ejaz Masud was sitting in front of me. I screamed, “Sir, that’s my son’s building—it’s on fire!”

His son’s classroom is also located at that building, but he did not come to school that day.

I ran out screaming. He told me to pray to Allah. I reached the site within 40 seconds.

While running, I phoned my husband, yelling that there was a fire in our son’s building.

When I got there, I saw three charred bodies - only ID cards remained. One child had no clothes, completely burned.

Looking up, I saw thick smoke surrounding the classroom where my son studies. I tried to enter but was stopped by two army personnel and some BNCC students.

I begged, pleaded, tried to force my way in. They held me back. Then I saw Babul Sir, my son’s form master.

I asked, “Sir, where is my son?”

He held my hand and replied, “They are upstairs, on the second floor.”

I didn’t believe him. Then a student came and told me, “Madam, everything is okay. Please come this way.”

From near the canteen, I could see seven or eight young girls standing. I don’t remember what I prayed, I just kept calling out to Allah.

My colleague Mukul Sir’s niece was also trapped in the same building. He was running and shouting from the opposite side.

Two army members made me sit down and held me back to prevent me from going further.

Then they cut down the mango tree in front of the second floor, broke the padlock on the grill, smashed one side open.

I watched as some girls crawled out under the grill, eight to ten girls and a female teacher managed to escape.

Suddenly I saw my son’s face.

Words cannot describe what that moment was like for a mother. It cannot be written.

Mukul Sir would have pulled him out himself if he could. He ran and hugged my son, saying, “Come on son, come quickly.”

I grabbed my precious child, my boy, and held him tightly.

None of the students trapped in my son’s classroom survived. They were all burned beyond recognition.

One mother cried out, “My son, I fed you your last meal today with my own hands. I didn’t even get to see you one last time.”

The plane had crashed directly into the classroom.

Within 15 minutes of the crash, the destruction was done. The bodies were severely burnt, rescuing them is near impossible.

I had never witnessed something so terrifying up close.

At 8:10 pm, I returned to the crash site again to check on two of my female form students, who were unwell.

I stood silently in front of the building.

At 8:15 pm, a BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh) member, Masud, was speaking on the phone, saying another body had been found, just a few burnt and dismembered remains.

Oh Lord of the Universe, Most Merciful, Best of Planners, you allowed these children to die in such a way that their parents wouldn’t even be able to recognise their remains."

Taslima Akter

Lecturer, Department of Management

Milestone College

21 July 2025 (Monday)