As Bangladesh reels from the devastating crash of a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft into Milestone School and College in Uttara – an accident that has already claimed at least 20 lives and left scores injured – one family is not mourning yet. They are still searching.
Taspia Sultana, a third-grade student, remains missing since the deadly crash on Monday afternoon.
For Taspia’s loved ones, the tragedy is not just a national headline. It is a nightmare unfolding by the minute.
“We’ve been to Uttara Adhunik Medical, then to Dhaka Medical College Hospital,” said Md Shah Poran, one of Taspia’s relatives. “But we haven’t received any authentic information. Please, if anyone knows anything about her, help us.”
For Neha, a housewife and Taspia’s cousin sister, the grief is unbearable. Her voice quivered as she recounted their last morning together.
“I looked after Taspia because her mother works at a garment factory. This morning, she didn’t want to go to school. She was unusually quiet. Perhaps… she sensed it was her last day,” Neha said, breaking into tears.
They thought it was a child’s reluctance – a little morning mood.
“We all encouraged her to go. I took her there myself,” Neha said. “Now I feel like I handed her over to death.”
Another family member, Md Shah Poran, said they are visiting hospitals across the city in search of Taspia.
“We’ve been to Uttara Adhunik Medical, then to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. But we haven’t received any authentic information. Please, if anyone knows anything about her, help us.”
As rescue workers continue to pull out the injured and the dead from the wreckage, and hospitals treat burn victims and those in critical condition, many families like Taspia’s are still trapped in uncertainty – waiting, praying, and fearing the worst.
20 Dead, 171 Injured As BAF Training Aircraft Crashes into School
A Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) training aircraft crashed into the Diabari campus of Milestone School and College in Uttara on Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring 171 others, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The horrifying crash occurred during school hours, sending shockwaves across the capital. Witnesses reported loud explosions moments before the aircraft plunged into the campus, where students were attending regular classes.
The ISPR confirmed that the dead and injured were rushed to various hospitals in Dhaka. The casualty breakdown is as follows:
Kuwait-Bangladesh Friendship Hospital: 8 injured
Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery: 70 injured, 2 dead
Dhaka Medical College Hospital: 3 injured, 1 dead
Combined Military Hospital (CMH): 17 injured, 12 dead
Kurmitola General Hospital: 1 injured, 2 dead
Lubna General Hospital and Cardiac Centre: 11 injured, 2 dead
Uttara Adhunik Medical College Hospital: 60 injured, 1 dead
Uttara Crescent Hospital: 1 injured
Hospital sources said burn victims continued arriving until late evening.
Several students said they heard a thunderous noise before the crash.
“We were in class when we heard a deafening sound. Everyone rushed outside and saw flames rising from the field,” said an eighth-grade student. “Later, we learned it was a training aircraft crash.”
Security personnel confirmed that military, BGB, and Ansar forces arrived swiftly after the incident. Firefighters launched rescue operations immediately. Within half an hour, over 50 students were rescued – many others, however, were pronounced dead before reaching hospitals.
A college source said two of the confirmed dead were teachers.
Hospitals Turn into Scenes of Grief
Dr. Md Bazlur Rahman, Deputy Director of Uttara Adhunik Medical College Hospital, said: “In the first phase, we received children without guardians. We began treatment immediately.”
“In the second phase, young people who had joined rescue efforts came in with complications like suffocation,” he added. “Burn victims are still arriving.”
Hospitals filled with desperate parents searching for missing children. Many broke down in tears amid the chaos.
Deputy Police Commissioner Md Mohidul Islam of DMP’s Uttara Division said an unidentified, severely burned body was at Uttara Adhunik Hospital. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will conduct DNA testing for identification.
Hundreds of youths rushed to local hospitals to donate blood. BNCC cadets, Scouts, and volunteers from various organizations helped manage crowds and facilitate the movement of ambulances.