A tragic plane crash at the Milestone College campus in Diyabari, Uttara, has left at least 200 people burned, with severely injured victims being rushed to the National Burn Institute as all the hospitals in Uttara are overwhelmed, with every available bed occupied and emergency wards stretched beyond capacity.Eyewitness Pratna, a local resident, described the horrifying scene: “The crash caused a massive fire that engulfed the college building, nearby vehicles, and people. I took my sister-in-law, Naureen, a teacher at Milestone College, to a local hospital first, but her condition worsened, so she was transferred to the burn institute.”
He added that students, parents, and passers by were caught in the fire. “Children were playing in the school field. They were all caught in the flames.”
Local hospitals and clinics in Uttara are now filled to the brim with burn victims. A doctor at a private hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “We’ve never seen so many burn patients at once. We’re doing our best, but many have to be sent directly to the National Burn Unit. We simply don’t have enough space or resources here.”
The National Burn Institute is preparing for a surge in patients, with medical staff working under wartime-like conditions. Around 1:06pm on Monday, July 21, a Bangladesh Air Force F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed into the Milestone School and College campus in Uttara, triggering a massive fire that spread quickly to nearby buildings.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the plane had taken off for a routine training mission when it went down. The crash site includes the college’s hostel and academic buildings.
Eyewitness Marjuqul Islam Shakib posted on Facebook: “I saw little children walking out with their bodies burned. There was a huge explosion on the hostel building. My younger sister was still on campus when it happened.”
Eight units of the Fire Service have been deployed to control the blaze and rescue trapped individuals. The Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) has sent two platoons to maintain law and order at the scene.
According to the Fire Service, one person has been confirmed dead, while 20 others – mostly students – have been admitted to the Burn Institute*.
Bangladesh Army personnel* have also been seen evacuating victims in military ambulances. Social media footage shows burnt bodies running out of the building, with chaos and smoke engulfing the area.
The crash has sent *shockwaves across the capital, with families frantically searching for loved ones and schools in the area closing early for safety.