Victims’ families to get up to Tk 1cr compensation

The government is set to finalise a compensation package for those killed and injured in the Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crash at Milestone School and College in Uttara, with families of the deceased to receive up to Tk 1 crore.

Officials said the proposal will be placed for approval at an inter-ministerial meeting of the interim government scheduled for December 31. Under the plan, families of deceased children and students below 18 years of age will be given Tk 10 crore, while families of adult victims will receive Tk 80 lakh.

Compensation for the injured has been categorised by age and severity of injuries. Burn-injured children are proposed to receive up to Tk 60 lakh, while injured adults may receive up to Tk 40 lakh. Moderately injured children will be compensated with Tk 30 lakh and adults with Tk 20 lakh. Those with minor or short-term injuries will receive Tk 15 lakh million for children and Tk 10 lakh for adults.

A separate medical and rehabilitation support package has also been proposed for severely and long-term burn victims. Those requiring treatment for 15 years will receive Tk 15 lakh, for 10 years Tk 9 lakh and for five years Tk 1 lakh.

Under the payment structure, half of the compensation for deceased victims will be paid in cash, with the remaining half invested in five-year government savings certificates. For injured children, 50 percent of the total compensation will be paid in two instalments, with the second instalment disbursed one year after the first, while the remaining 50 percent will be kept in long-term savings certificates until the child reaches 25 years of age. A similar arrangement will apply to injured adults, though their savings certificates can be encashed after five years.

The funds will be disbursed from the government’s Disaster Management Fund and District Disaster Management Funds. Officials said the compensation amounts were determined following recommendations from a government-formed inquiry commission, which assessed long-term physical, psychological, economic and social impacts on the victims.

No compensation has been proposed under this package for the family of the pilot who died in the crash, as the Bangladesh Air Force will provide support to the pilot’s family in accordance with its own rules, according to the finance ministry.

The incident occurred on July 21, when a Bangladesh Air Force F-7 BGI fighter jet crashed into a building at the Milestone School and College campus in the Diabari area of Uttara, leaving about 35 people dead and nearly 172 injured, most of them schoolchildren.