Uttara: Two more people, including a child, died from burn injuries this morning following the jet crash at Milestone School and College in the capital's Uttara, raising the death toll to 35. The deceased were identified as Zarif Farhan, a seventh-grade student, and Masuma, a support staff member at the school.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Zarif succumbed to his burn injuries at 9:10 am today, while Masuma died one hour later at 10:15 am in the Intensive Care Unit of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. Dr. Shawon Bin Rahman, the Residential Surgeon of the institute, stated that Zarif sustained 40 percent burns, while Masuma suffered 90 percent burns.
Zarif's father, Md Habibur Rahman, mentioned that his son was the younger of two siblings. The family originally hails from Rajbari Sadar upazila and currently resides in Sector-12 of Uttara. Md Selim, Masuma's husband, shared that she had been working at the school for several years and the couple has a son and a daughter. They are originally from Borhanuddin upazila in Bhola and currently live in the Shukravanga area of Nayanagar under Turag.
With the latest deaths, the breakdown of fatalities includes 17 victims at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, one at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, 15 at Combined Military Hospital, and one at Shaheed Monsur Ali Medical College Hospital.
Prof Dr. Nasir Uddin, Director of the institute, announced at a press briefing on Friday afternoon that they would begin discharging four to five victims whose conditions had improved significantly. Presently, 38 burn victims are receiving treatment, with three in critical condition in the ICU.
The tragic incident occurred on Monday when an FT-7 fighter jet of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into a two-storey building of Milestone School and College in Uttara shortly after takeoff, reportedly due to a mechanical failure. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam, lost his life in the crash.