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More than 50 students have been admitted to hospitals, including the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, after a Bangladesh Air Force aircraft crashed into a building of Milestone School and College in Dhaka's Diabari.
Doctors say most of the injured are burn victims, bdnews24.com reports.
Around 3:30pm on Monday, Dr Shawon Bin Rahman, resident surgeon at the national burn institute, said: “So far, over 50 injured people have arrived. We are extremely busy. The number is rising. Most of the burn victims are students, and all of them are in critical condition.”
Some of the burnt and injured people have also been taken to Crescent Hospital in Uttara.
Nazmul Islam, the hospital’s director of administration, said: “We have treated 15 people. Two of them are teachers and the rest are students.”
“Those with minor burns are being treated here. Some are under observation. Those with more than 30 percent burns on their bodies are being referred to the burn institute.”
Other hospitals, including Uttara Adhunik Medical College Hospital, Kuwait-Bangladesh Friendship Hospital, Uttara Women’s Medical College, Mansur Ali Medical College, and Kurmitola General Hospital, are also treating injured students.
The F-7 BGI training jet crashed shortly after takeoff around 1:06pm on Monday, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The plane burst into flames right after the crash. A plume of thick smoke could be seen from quite a distance. Eight Fire Service units rushed to the scene to put out the flames.
Lima Khanam, duty officer at the Fire Service Central Control Room, said: “The training aircraft crashed at the Milestone School and College in Diabari. Our team has recovered one body. The Air Force has rescued four people with injuries and taken them away.”
Two people have died so far. The ISPR has yet to release any information about the pilot.
Shah Bulbul, a Milestone School and College spokesman, said: “The plane fell on the gate and crashed nearby. Classes were in session where the plane crashed with young students inside. The injured are being taken out one by one.”
Many of the victims were seen being taken away on stretchers and loaded into ambulances. Two platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have joined the rescue efforts and are helping maintain order at the site.