Staff Correspondent:

The death toll has risen to 31 people including 25 children, a pilot and a teacher after Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) FT-7 BGI fighter aircraft crashed into a building of Milestone School and College in the capital’s Uttara area on Monday afternoon.

According to the Inter Services Public Relation Directorate (ISPR), 31 people have so far been killed in the plane crash till 12pm on Tuesday and 165 of the injured are now undergoing treatment at 10 hospitals in the capital.

Dr. Md. Sayedur Rahman, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Health and Family Welfare in a press briefing at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery on Tuesday morning also said that 25 children, a pilot and a teacher were among the deceased.

“So far, 20 bodies have been identified and handed over to their families,” he added, urging people not to crowd hospitals unnecessarily. “We currently do not need much blood, only a few donors with negative blood groups are requested.”

Twelve of the victims whose bodies have been handed over to families were identified as: Fatema Akhter, 9, daughter of Gani Sheikh of Bagerhat; Samiul Karim, 9 of Barishal; Rajoni Islam, 37 of Kushtia; Mehnaz Afrin Huraira, 9 of Tangail; Sharia Akhter, 13, daughter of Rafique Mollah of Dhaka; Nusrat Jahan Anika, 10, of Dhaka; Saad Salauddin, 9, son of Mukul Salauddin of Dhaka’s Mirpur; Saima Akhter, 9, daughter of Shah Alam, of Gazipur; AB Shamim, 14; Afnan, 14; Tanvir, 14 and Milestone School and College teacher Maherin Chowdhury, 46.

The body of Air Force pilot Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam has been kept at the morgue.

The ISPR earlier confirmed that 171 people were also injured in the crash.

In addition, two firefighters suffered injuries while they were conducting rescue operations. But, they are now out of danger, fire service sources said.

The Fire Service and Civil Defence wrapped up the rescue operation at 8:30pm on Monday.

The aircraft crash took place due to mechanical fault (the details of which will be disclosed after investigation) after taking off from the Bangladesh Air Force Base AK Khandaker in Kurmitola at 01:06pm on Monday as part of a regular training, the ISPR said.

The FT-7 jet crashed into a building of Milestone School and College around 1:18pm on Monday, fire service sources said.

The ISPR said Flight Lieutenant Md Towkir Islam, the pilot of the aircraft, made every effort to steer it away from a densely populated area to a sparsely populated one in order to mitigate the impact of the crash and prevent major damage.

A high-level investigation committee of the Air Force was formed on Monday immediately after the crash to find out the cause of the accident, it added.

The government has postponed on Tuesday HSC and equivalent examinations and all the examinations under the National University following the crash.

An emergency hotline number 01949-043697 has been launched at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery following the jet crash.

Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus expressed deep shock and sorrow at the casualties in the jet crash and assured of an investigation into the matter. He also assured proper treatment to the injured.

The government has asked all public and private hospitals to provide free treatment to those who were injured in the crash

Health and Family Welfare Adviser Nurjahan Begum gave necessary directives to all public and private hospitals in this regard, said a press release.

Meanwhile, the Chief Adviser’s press wing has denied the rumour of concealing information regarding the casualties in the fighter jet crash.

“The names and identities of all deceased are being verified and listed, it said, adding that the bodies that cannot be identified are being identified through DNA tests.”