‘First thing we saw were the bodies of a mother and her child’
Just minutes after a training aircraft crashed into Milestone School and College in Dhaka's Uttara, members of the Bangladesh Army arrived at the scene and began rescue operations.
On entering the building, they were met with a harrowing sight, two lifeless bodies lying near the blaze.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "We were the first responders. As soon as we entered the school, we saw two bodies, likely a mother and her child," said Maj Mehedi Hasan, commander of the Army's 43 Regiment Battalion, during a briefing at the site this afternoon.
Describing the scene, Hasan said, "The aircraft crashed into a part of the school that caught fire. The two bodies were lying right in front of the flames. That was the first thing we saw. We immediately began rescue efforts."
Asked how quickly the Army responded, he said, "It took us around two to three minutes to reach the site, as our camp is located just 100 to 150 yards away."
The intense rescue operation also took a toll on those involved, he said.
"About 25 of our personnel fell ill afterwards, although none are in critical condition. Eleven are currently receiving treatment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka," he said.
When asked about the number of bodies recovered, Maj Hasan declined to give a specific figure.
"We did not focus on counting. Our priority was to evacuate those we found and move them to safety. The final numbers should come from the school authorities and hospitals," he said.
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