Govt offers Tk 2m to deceased’s families, Tk 500,000 to injured ones

The government will provide financial assistance of Tk 2 million (Tk 20 lakh) to the family of each person killed and Tk 500,000 to each injured in the fighter jet crash at Milestone School and College in the capital.

Plus, the injured will receive free medical treatment.

The decision was taken today, Thursday, at a meeting of the advisory council chaired by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.

Later in the afternoon, the chief adviser’s press secretary, Shafiqul Alam, announced the decision at a press conference held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.

Describing the accident as a “national tragedy”, the press secretary said that a one-time payment of Tk 2 million (Tk 20 lakh) will be provided to the families of all 36 victims.

Additionally, each injured person will receive a one-time payment of Tk 500,000. Injured individuals will also receive free treatment at government hospitals, for which they will be issued registration cards.

On 21 July, a Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) fighter jet crashed at Milestone School and College in Diabari area of Dhaks’s Uttara. The accident claimed 36 lives, 28 of whom were students. The aircraft’s pilot, Flight Lieutenant Tawkir Islam, was killed as well. Many others were left injured.

The interim government had formed a nine-member inquiry commission to investigate the widely discussed accident. In its report, the commission identified pilot's error during take-off as the cause of the crash.