Students Protest for Accurate Information as Bangladesh Jet Crash Death Toll Rises to 31

PTI, Dhaka, July 22, 2025 : Thousands of students protested on Tuesday during the visit of top interim government officials to the site of the crash of a Bangladesh Air Force training jet, as the death toll from the country's one of the deadliest aviation accidents rose to 31, including 25 children.

The F-7 BGI aircraft, a training fighter jet manufactured in China, experienced a "mechanical fault" moments after takeoff and crashed into a two-storey building of Milestone School and College in Dhaka's Uttara area on Monday, according to officials. The death toll from the crash rose to 31, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) – the media wing of the military.

Earlier, Chief Adviser's special adviser, Saidur Rahman, told reporters that at least 25 of the deceased were children, many of them under the age of 12, who succumbed to extensive burn injuries. Authorities fear the toll could rise further.

According to the ISPR, 16 people died at the Combined Military Hospital, 10 at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, two at Lubana General Hospital, and one each at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Uttara Adhunik Medical College Hospital, and United Hospital. The ISPR added that 165 of the injured are currently undergoing treatment at 10 hospitals in Dhaka.

Students from Milestone School and College, as well as from nearby schools, staged a protest this morning, demanding accurate disclosure of the information about those killed, compensation for the victims' families, and the immediate discontinuation of outdated and unsafe training aircraft used by the Bangladesh Air Force.

Law adviser Asif Nazrul, education adviser CR Abrar, and the chief adviser's press secretary Shafiqul Alam visited the crash site, where agitating students confronted them and shouted slogans in favor of their demands. The advisers took shelter inside one of the school buildings. Despite security vigils by army and paramilitary troops, the students laid a siege to the building where the advisers were sheltering. They alleged that the authorities were deliberately hiding the actual death toll.

However, Yunus' office issued a statement, refuting the students' claim. "We are observing with deep concern that different quarters are spearheading a misleading campaign that the casualty figures are being concealed. We want to firmly inform all that the claim is not correct," it said.

Rahman told reporters that 20 bodies had been handed over to their families so far. "We are continuing all possible efforts to provide medical care. However, the condition of some patients remains extremely critical," he added.