Room no 520 echoes with children’s tears

The National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute was overwhelmed with grief on Monday afternoon, as the injured and their family members arrived in waves, mourning and crying following the tragic crash of a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft onto the campus of Milestone School and College in Diabari, Uttara. By 5:30 PM, a total of 70 victims had been brought to the hospital. Authorities were struggling to manage the crowd of anxious and devastated relatives.

One after another, burned and injured children were being admitted to Room 520 of the Plastic Surgery Unit—where the air was filled with nothing but the heartbreaking cries of young victims.

Around 4 PM, two sixth-grade students of Milestone School—Ahona and Subaha—were brought in. As they were wheeled into Room 520, both were writhing in pain. The parents accompanying them were in shock, screaming in anguish.

Ahona’s mother sobbed "My daughter didn’t want to go to school this morning. She said she had a fever. I forced her to go. That murderous plane hit her classroom directly. My poor child... how much pain she’s in..."

Subaha, speaking through her burns, told her mother
"My whole body is burning, Ma. My class teacher was completely burned... she was sitting on her chair, even after catching fire..."

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a Bangladesh Air Force F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed shortly after taking off at 1:06 PM on Monday. The aircraft slammed into the gate of an academic building of the school and caught fire, causing devastation.