Published :
Updated :
Two more schoolchildren succumbed Friday to their fatal burn injuries suffered in the air-force jet crash into Milestone School and College while six remained in critical condition, medical sources said.
Meanwhile, foreign specialist physicians are engrossed in providing lifesaving medication for burn survivors admitted into different hospitals in the capital, Dhaka, following the air crash into the educational institution in the capital's Uttara area.
Tasnif Afroz Ayman, 10, passed away while undergoing treatment at the High Dependency Unit (HDU) of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery around 9:30am Friday.
Another victim, Musabbir Makin, 14, a seventh grader of the institution, breathed his last around 1:05pm the same day while undergoing treatment at the burn-and plastic-surgery institute.
Resident surgeon of the institute Shawon Bin Rahman said 45 per cent of Ayman's body had been burnt in the blaze ignited by the plane crash.
"And around 70 per cent of Makin body was burnt," he told reporters at the haunted hospice inside which the air is thick with moans and groans.
With the latest deaths, the death toll from the worst such tragedy in living memory stands at 15 now at the burn institute.
Makin was laid to rest at their ancestral home in Gazipur's Gacha area.
As of 10:00am Friday, the Directorate General of Health Services reported that the death toll from the accident had risen to 33, while 51 people remained under treatment in various hospitals.
Of those still undergoing treatment, 41 are admitted into the Burn Institute, eight at CMH, one at Shaheed Monsur Ali Medical College Hospital, and one at the National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital.
On Friday, special prayers were offered at Baitul Mukarram national mosques and other mosques across Bangladesh during juma congregation for eternal salvation of departed souls of the deceased and early recovery of the injured.
Earlier on Thursday, the advisory council of the interim government in a meeting presided over by Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus decided on offer of dao and special prayers at mosques and other places of worships for the deceased and early recovery of those injured in the Milestone air crash.
On Monday, July 21, 2025, a Bangladesh Air Force fighter jet crashed into a building of Milestone, resulting in the tragedy.
Meanwhile, agencies report, the visiting Indian medical team assessed burn victims. The team held detailed consultations with officials from Bangladesh's Ministry of Health
They also held detailed medical consultations with senior officials of Bangladesh's Ministry of Health and doctors at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka, according to Indian Ministry of External Affairs. They reviewed each of the critical cases Thursday, exchanged views on the treatment methodologies, and conveyed their assessment on future course of treatment.
The visit of the Indian doctors and nursing officials follows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assurance of extending "all possible assistance and support to Bangladesh in the wake of the tragic incident of plane crash" in Dhaka on Monday.
As the battle for saving life went on, a Chinese emergency medical team consisting of five burn-specialist doctors and nurses arrived in Dhaka on Thursday night. The team, carrying adequate "medical necessities" landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 11pm, an official told UNB.
Director-General (Global Health Emergency Response Wing) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sayeda Jesmin Sultana Milky and Chinese Ambassador in Bangladesh Yao Wen received them at the airport.
The Chinese medical team is visiting Bangladesh at the request of the interim government of Bangladesh.
They were set to go to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery to provide "all the necessary assistance and assessment", said the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka.
On Thursday morning, at the request of the Bangladeshi side, Yunnan Province of China urgently organised a team of experts from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University to conduct a remote video consultation with the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery of Bangladesh.
The Chinese team, expert in burn treatment, plastic surgery, pediatric nephrology and pediatric respiratory medicine, joined Bangladeshi doctors in assessing the conditions of several critically injured patients and jointly discussed treatment plans.
These doctors will work together with local doctors at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery
Meanwhile, a second five-member medical team from Singapore arrived in Dhaka on Thursday night to provide advanced treatment to those injured in the aircraft crash at Milestone School and College.
The members of the team are Chou Wing Kit Chester (Zhou Yongji), Wei Guiru, Tan Kui Yuen, Wang Zhilin, and Irene Wang Mei Jin.
This group of specialists will work jointly with doctors at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka.
They will offer technical and professional support as required, according to Mohammad Shahadat Hossain, senior information officer at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Earlier, shortly after the accident, the first medical team from Singapore arrived in Bangladesh to assist in the treatment efforts.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com