A day after the death of his sister Nazia, nine-year-old Arian Ashraf Nafi has also succumbed to his injuries sustained during the tragic crash of a Bangladesh Air Force FT-7BGI fighter jet into Milestone School and College in Uttara on Monday.
Nafi died at 12:15am on Wednesday while undergoing treatment in ICU Unit-10 at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka.
Resident physician Dr Shawon Bin Rahman confirmed the death, stating that 95 per cent of Nafi’s body had suffered flame burns. “Survival with such extensive burns is almost impossible. His condition was critical from the beginning. In the end, we couldn’t save him,” he said.
Earlier, around 3am on Tuesday, his elder sister Tabassum Nazia (13) died while receiving treatment. She had sustained burns over 90 per cent of her body. Both siblings were inside the Milestone School and College building at the time of the crash.
Nazia was a third-grade student, while Nafi was in first grade. They lived with their parents in the Kamarpara area of Uttara and were their only children. Both were buried in Kamarpara on Tuesday.
Their uncle, Md Imdadul Haque Talukder, said the family has been devastated. “My sister (the children’s mother) and brother-in-law are in no condition to speak. Please keep them in your prayers.”
Their father, Ashraful Islam, is a retired army officer. With dreams of giving his children a good education, he had moved his family from Doulotkhan’s Dakshin Joynagar village in Bhola to Uttara, Dhaka.
The crash occurred around noon on Monday when a Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into the school building, triggering a devastating fire. Over 32 lives have been lost so far, including teachers, students, and staff. Many others remain hospitalised with severe injuries.