NEW Age deeply mourns the unimaginable loss of lives from the Bangladesh Air Force jet crashing into Milestone School and College campus in Uttara and stands in solidarity with the bereaved student, teachers, parents and larger community in grief. An air force training aircraft, the FT-7 BGI, crashed into the campus immediately after take-off in early afternoon on July 21, when students were attending regular classes or waiting for their parents at the playground. At least 31 people have been confirmed dead, and about 171 are suffering various degrees of burn injuries. Physicians at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery treating a large majority of the patients fear that the death toll from the tragedy will rise. As the government failed to quickly put together a transparent system to record information on children being rescued or bodies sent to different mortuaries, the parents were seen desperately running from one hospital to another. It is also deplorable that the law enforcement agencies involved in the rescue operation were reportedly hostile when dealing with the bereaved student, teachers and parents.
The government has declared a day of state mourning, a high-level inquiry committee from the Air Force is initiated to investigate the jet crash and the Directorate General of Health Services directed hospitals to provide free medical treatment to injured victims of the jet crash. A day of mourning and the announcement of a probe committee are not enough; the grieving public demands accountability. The F-7 BGI fighter jet responsible for the crash brings to the fore the risks posed by ageing military hardware. Bangladesh purchased the ill-fated aircraft in 2013, reportedly after China stopped its production. Many have also questioned the logic of operating such training in a city like Dhaka when the air force has the option to conduct such training from bases in Jashore or Chattogram. The absolute chaos reported in the rescue operation creating rooms for the spread of disinformation demonstrates the government鈥檚 unpreparedness in responding to such moments of crisis. An already developed protocol should have been there to systematically respond to the need of the hour.
The government must, under the circumstances, ensure a credible investigation into the Bangladesh Air Force jet crash. The scope of the investigation should include the past history of the purchase of ageing military hardware to see if risks and safety concerns were adequately addressed before purchasing the ill-fated aircraft. Meanwhile, all F-7 BGI fighters in the air force fleet should be decommissioned. The government should also ensure that information regarding death, injury and missing persons is systematically made public. The grieving community should not be subjected to any further harassment and suffering.