Death toll in Bangladesh Air Force jet crash reaches 34

Dhaka: The death toll from the tragic Bangladesh Air Force jet crash has climbed to 34, following the death of another child on Saturday morning, local media reported.

According to Shawon Bin Rahman, resident surgeon at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka, the latest victim, 13-year-old Zarif, died from burn injuries covering 40 per cent of his body, including his respiratory tract.

Another two children who were undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the facility succumbed to their injuries on Friday.

The deceased were identified as Abdul Musabbir Makin, aged 13, a seventh-grade student, and Afroz Aiman, aged 10, a fourth-grade student of Milestone School.

Reports suggest that among the 34 people who died in the tragic jet crash, the majority are children.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media division of the South Asia nation’s Armed Forces, the Air Force’s F-7 BGI training aircraft took off at 1:06 p.m. (local time) on Monday and crashed into the Milestone School and College building in Dhaka’s Uttara around 1.30 p.m.

Speaking to Bangladesh’s leading Bengali daily Prothom Alo, resident physician Shaon Bin Rahman of the Burn Institute confirmed the update on the two casualties on Friday, stating that Musabbir’s body was burned to 70 per cent, and Afroz’s body was burned to 45 per cent in the tragic incident.

Addressing reporters, the Director of the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, Nasir Uddin, stated that the condition of five people undergoing treatment at the Burn Institute is critical.

“The good news is that a few people were kept on life support. The condition of two of them has improved somewhat. Their ventilators have been removed. They are able to breathe on their own. Four to five patients can be discharged on Saturday,” he stated.

Citing Burn Institute sources, Prothom Alo reported that expert doctors from the country have been exchanging their experiences with the medical teams from Singapore, China, and India who have joined to treat the burn victims of the jet crash in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the Indian medical team, currently visiting Bangladesh, held the second round of consultations with doctors at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka.

The medical team continued their mission to provide medical support to the Bangladesh authorities for treatment of critically injured patients in the aftermath of the jet crash of July 21 at Milestone School and College in Dhaka, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka said in a post on X.

They visited some of the patients and observed their prognosis, the Indian mission added.

The team further deliberated management protocols with the doctors at the Institute and provided critical inputs for treatment methodology.

The Indian medical team, now in Dhaka to help provide treatment to Milestone crash victims, held detailed medical consultations with senior officials of the Bangladesh Ministry of Health and doctors at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.

They reviewed each of the critical cases, exchanged views on the treatment methodologies, and conveyed their assessment of the future course of treatment.

The visit of the Indian doctors and nursing officials follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurance to extend all possible assistance and support to Bangladesh in the wake of the tragic jet crash in Dhaka on July 21.

–IANS