by Sabrina Khan Tandra

On July 21, 2025, a fighter jet crashed into the Milestone School in Uttara, Dhaka, plunging the entire nation into deep mourning. This tragic accident has so far claimed 31 lives and injured over a hundred. The death toll is expected to rise. The skies of Dhaka are heavy with the grief of losing loved ones, the cries of people burned by fire, and the wails of countless individuals. In this unexpected disaster, many have lost their dear ones forever, and some bodies are so badly burned that identification has become difficult.

Bravery and Self-Sacrifice

In this terrible incident, we witnessed some exceptional stories of self-sacrifice.

Pilot Flight Lieutenant Mohammad Touqir Islam: The pilot of the crashed aircraft, Mohammad Touqir Islam, risked his own life to try and steer the plane towards a less populated area until the last moment, avoiding densely populated areas. He could have ejected and saved his own life, but as a protector of the nation, he made the utmost effort to save the lives of ordinary people. His self-sacrifice will forever be remembered by the nation.

School Coordinator: As a teacher and coordinator, she saved the lives of 20 children. Risking her own life, even as fire spread across her body, she tried to move the children to a safe place. Her last words to her husband before her death, “They are also my children,” prove her immense maternal affection and deep dedication to teaching.

Indomitable Teenager: A video circulating on social media showed a teenager defying fire service personnel and entering the burning building to save his friend. Although he couldn’t save his friend, his indomitable courage and love for his friend are truly inspiring.

Doctors and the General Public: After the accident, doctors and nurses worked tirelessly to manage the influx of injured people at hospitals. They didn’t even have the opportunity to create a patient list. On the other hand, ordinary people spontaneously donated blood and participated in rescue efforts, setting a bright example of humanity.

Urgent Questions and Future Actions

This heartbreaking incident has brought some important questions to the forefront:

Disaster Management in Schools: Do our schools provide adequate training to students on what steps to take during natural disasters, emergencies, or terrorist attacks? Are drills conducted to evacuate a building quickly?

Airport in Densely Populated Area: How can an airbase or an international airport exist in a densely populated area? Is there no clear policy regarding the construction of sensitive establishments like Milestone School, which is 5.23 kilometers away from Shahjalal International Airport?

Violation of Rules and Unplanned Urbanization: Why is there a discrepancy between the airport height control map approved by the Bangladesh Civil Aviation in 2018 and the DAP (Detailed Area Plan) of 2022?

Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS). Dhaka Airport Height Limitation Zone Map created by the Civil Aviation Authority.

How is RAJUK (Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha) destroying a city by filling wetlands and constructing unplanned multi-story buildings? Satellite images from the last 40 years show that while there were wetlands around the airbase in 1985, by 2025, it has turned into a hill of tall buildings. What is the reason behind this?

Image of the landing zone of the airport area in 1985. There was a large open water area. In 2004, the water area gradually filled up and high-rise buildings began to cover it. In 2025, there will be no water area in the area surrounding the landing zone of the port area. Only high-rise buildings and buildings.

Now is not the time for questions, but to move towards solutions. Instead of discussing whose fault it was or what could have been done, each of us must step forward from our respective positions. It is crucial to build a culture of accountability, move away from the tendency to avoid responsibility, curb greed, and rein in our egos. We should increase the practice of education, ethics, empathy, and compassion in our lives. Learning from this tragic incident, we must prevent such calamities in the future. Let the Milestone tragedy be our last lesson.

This incident has shown us how fragile human life is. We never know when we are meeting someone for the last time. So let us be empathetic towards each other and work collectively to build a safe and well-organized society.

The Author: 

Sabrina Khan Tandra. Contributor of the Dhaka Bureau.