'Found my eldest son, can’t find the little one'
Parents and families of students of Milestone School and College in the capital’s Uttara are thronging the college campus looking for their children after a training aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into one of the college buildings today, Monday. Many of the students are still missing.
According to eyewitnesses, the plane crashed near the entrance of a two-storey building of Milestone School, triggering an immediate fire.
The Fire Service has confirmed the death of at least one person in the incident. Many people are feared injured. However, the exact figure could not be confirmed. Burn victims are being rushed one after another to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
As of 3:30 pm this afternoon, 28 victims have been taken to the National Burn Institute. Several others were admitted to the Combined Military Hospital.
The members of the Bangladesh Army, Air Force and Fire fighters are leading the rescue operation at the scene. In addition, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been deployed. The police are working to maintain law and order.
Lucky Akter, who was present at the scene, told Prothom Alo around 3:00 pm that both her children are Milestone School students.
She said, “I found my eldest son. Still can’t find the little one.”
Another parent, Ferdousi Begum, said her daughter was trapped inside. She had not been able to make any contact with her.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Md Sabuj, who was present at the scene and identified him as an assistant professor of the science department of the college, said the two-storey building is used for classes. The last class of the morning session ended at 1:00 pm. Some students had already left. Still many were waiting for their guardians. The plane crashed at that point leading to massive fire instantaneously.
Mahim Hasan Siam, a witness to the incident and a twelfth-grade student, told Prothom Alo that the plane crashed in front of the project-2 building, which has a total of 16 classrooms across two floors, along with four teachers’ rooms. Classes for grades one to five were held in this building. The plane crashed right in front of the classrooms for grades three and four, where classes were underway and about to end shortly. At the same time, the plane hit the project-7 building of the college, causing a fuel leak before finally crashing in front of the project-2 building.