At least 25 people were children, many under the age of 12, when a Chinese-made F-7 BGI Bangladeshi Air Force jet plowed into milestone schools and universities on Monday, exploding into flames, trapped in fires and building wreckage.
Two government officials visited the crash site and demanded justice, saying, “Why did our brother die? We demanded answers!”
Elsewhere in the capital, hundreds of protesting students, some of them waving their sticks, smashing through the main gate of the federal government office and demanding that they resign as education advisors, local television footage showed. The police baton accused them and kicked them out.
Rescue workers continued to scrutinize the burnt building for debris Tuesday as tormented residents of the area saw it. Some parents couldn’t deny it.
“I took her to school like I did yesterday morning. I never thought it would be the last time I would see her,” Able Hossein said. She was buried Monday night.
Rubina Aktor said she made a miraculous escape after her son, Rayan Tufik, was on the stairs, set the shirt on fire.
“He sprinted to the ground floor, jumped onto the grass and threw it at him,” she said. “He tore his shirt and vest, which saved him from serious burns.”
The jet had taken off from a nearby air base on a daily training mission, the military said, the plane had experienced mechanical breakdowns and the pilot was among those killed. He attempted to divert the aircraft from the densely populated area, but the jet crashed into the campus.
On Tuesday, the military said in a statement that 31 people had died and 165 people had been admitted to hospitals in the city. The Ministry of Health later said 70 people were still in treatment, the report added.
MA/PR