Milestone School and College Marks First Anniversary of Tragic Air Force Jet Crash
The Milestone School and College in Dhaka’s Uttara observed a somber anniversary on Tuesday, marking one year since a catastrophic fighter jet crash claimed the lives of 35 people, including students, teachers, parents, and staff. The tragedy, which occurred on July 21 last year, triggered a day of mourning, prayer, and reflection as the institution paused all activities to pay tribute to the victims.
The day began with a floral tribute at a temporary memorial erected in front of the college’s Haidar Ali building. Following the ceremony, special prayers were held to commemorate the deceased. Col. (Retd.) Nurunnabi, the founding principal of the institution, expressed the profound grief still felt by the community, noting that the school organized various remembrance programs throughout the day for grieving families.
The horror of the event remains etched in the memories of those who witnessed it. Assistant Professor Moniruzzaman Molla, who survived the ordeal with his family, described the scene as a wall of fire. He recounted harrowing moments of attempting to rescue children from the wreckage while witnessing heroic efforts by faculty members, including teacher Maherin Chowdhury, who sustained fatal burns while trying to shepherd students to safety. For survivors and faculty like Farzana Kaberi, the emotional scars remain deep, with many still grappling with the trauma of that morning when what should have been a normal school day turned into a desperate struggle for survival.
The crash, which also resulted in the death of the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Md. Toukir Islam, left an additional 80 people injured, many of whom required extensive treatment at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
A nine-member investigative commission formed by the government in the aftermath of the disaster later identified pilot error as the primary cause of the crash. However, the report also highlighted critical safety failures at the school, noting that the building violated architectural codes by lacking adequate emergency exits. Investigators concluded that if the structure had complied with safety regulations, the death toll could have been significantly lower. The commission ultimately recommended relocating all military pilot training operations away from densely populated urban areas to prevent further loss of civilian life.
