Three air force members killed: five-member committee formed

Three members of the Bangladesh Air Force have been killed in a road accident while performing Quick Response Force (QRF) duty in the third terminal area of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Four other members were seriously injured and are under treatment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH). A five-member investigation committee has been formed to find out the cause of the accident.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed the matter on Tuesday (September 1).

The deceased are Warrant Officer Sultan Mahmud, Corporal Moniruzzaman Piyas and Leading Aircraftman (LAC) Md Zubaidul Islam.

The Air Force said a jeep carrying seven members of the force met with an accident while on QRF duty in the third terminal area around 9:35pm on Monday (August 31). Immediately after the accident, Air Force members rushed to the spot, rescued the injured and took them to CMH. Duty doctors there declared three of them dead. The four injured members are currently under treatment at CMH.

The namaz-e-janaza and funeral parade of the three deceased members were held with military honours at 5:30pm on Tuesday at the C-130 hangar of Bangladesh Air Force Base Bir Uttam AK Khandaker (Kurmitola) in Dhaka Cantonment.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat and Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman attended the janaza. At that time, Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan paid floral tribute by placing wreaths on the coffins of the deceased. Family members of the deceased, former Air Force chiefs, senior government officials and senior officers of the armed forces were also present at the janaza.

After the janaza, the bodies of the deceased were taken to their respective village homes. Later, representative teams of the Air Force will complete their burial with due military honours.

The Air Force said its members have been performing duties at important airports of the country including Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport under ‘In Aid to Civil Power’ since August 5, 2024 to control law and order, ensure passenger safety and overall security.

Meanwhile, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat inspected the accident site on Tuesday evening. He said a five-member investigation committee has been formed to find out the cause of the accident.

After the inspection, the minister said it is initially assumed that the accident may have occurred due to the driver’s lack of skill or loss of control of the pickup. However, it is not possible to confirm the actual cause of the accident until the investigation is completed.

He further said the investigation committee will examine how skilled the driver was, what the speed of the vehicle was at the time of the accident and whether there was any technical or infrastructural reason behind it.