Witnesses recount Uttara plane crash horror, report parachute escape

“Children and parents were burning,” said one local who rushed in to help but was pushed back by the flames

Bystanders have described scenes of chaos and horror after an Air Force plane crashed into Milestone School and College in Dhaka, leaving classrooms engulfed in flames and many children trapped inside.

The aircraft came down in an area used as a waiting zone, adjacent to the English-medium section, which houses 11 to 12 classrooms. Classes had just ended, and dozens of students were still on the premises when the crash occurred.

Multiple witnesses said they saw a person descending with a parachute moments after the plane went down.

Jaimat Ali, who runs an excavator repair shop just 100 yards away from the school, said he was working with a colleague when they saw the plane flying unusually low. Seconds later, they heard a deafening boom.

“At first we thought the metro rail building was hit,” Jaimat said. “But we rushed over and saw the school on fire. Children and parents were burning. We tried to pull people out, but the heat was unbearable.”

“There was no way to get inside. We don’t know what happened to those who were trapped,” he added.

Apon Ahmed, the excavator driver with him, said they saw 10 to 15 children lying motionless in one spot. “There was nothing we could do. Even the ones we managed to pull out were badly burned. Their clothes, their bags -- everything was on fire.”

He said the Fire Service and Army personnel arrived quickly and began rescue operations.

Shanto, a Grade 10 student who lives two minutes from the school, had just returned home when he heard the explosion. From his balcony, he saw smoke billowing from the compound and ran back.

“The plane crashed right in front of the school. Flames were everywhere,” he said. The building housed students from grades 3 to 8, with 30 to 35 students per classroom.

“Some were rescued, but many suffered severe burns. Those inside had no way to escape.”

By 4:30pm, multiple ambulances had left the scene. A yellow crane and a large Air Force truck were later seen entering the compound.

Atikur Rahman, a contractor who reached the scene soon after the crash, said most of the victims appeared to be children aged eight to 10.

“Many of them were so badly burned they couldn’t even be touched,” he said.