Another child undergoing treatment has died following Monday’s devastating jet crash at Milestone School and College in Uttara, raising the official death toll to 32.
The Ministry of Health confirmed the death of a child at around 12:15am on Wednesday. In a statement issued at 1:45am, it said nine-year-old , Arian Ashraf Nafi who had suffered 95 per cent burns, died while being treated in the ICU at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) reported that 31 people had been killed in the disaster, with 165 others injured and receiving treatment across several hospitals.
ISPR also noted that the bodies of at least seven victims had been charred beyond recognition. DNA samples have been collected for identification.
So far, the bodies of 20 victims have been handed over to their families, said Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser, Sayedur Rahman.
The tragedy unfolded at midday on Monday when a Bangladesh Air Force F-T-7 BGI training jet crashed into the school building, causing a massive fire and widespread devastation among young students. The government observed a day of national mourning on Tuesday in memory of the victims.
Milestone tragedy claims another life as brother of Nazia dies from burns
Nafi, who was in the third grade, succumbed to his injuries around 12:15 a.m. on Wednesday at the ICU of the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. His sister, Nazia Tabassum Nijhum, a sixth-grade student at the same school, had died earlier on Monday night.
Their father, retired Army Sergeant Ashraful Islam Nirab, confirmed the siblings’ identities. The family hails from Joynagar village in Daulatkhan upazila of Bhola, though they currently reside in the Turag Kamarpara area of Dhaka.
Dr Shawon Bin Rahman, Resident Surgeon at the burn institute, said Nafi had sustained 95 per cent burns, adding, “Survival was nearly impossible in such a condition.”
With Nafi’s death, the toll at the burn institute has now risen to 11.