One year after Milestone tragedy: Trauma still haunts students, parents and teachers

A year has passed since a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into the Milestone School and College campus in Uttara, claiming dozens of lives. Yet for the students, teachers and families affected by the tragedy, time has done little to heal the emotional scars.

The school campus has reopened after the holidays, but for many parents, every school day revives memories of the country's deadliest educational institution disaster.

Among them is Mohammad Rubel Mia, who now arrives at the school holding the hand of his younger son, Tasfik. Until a year ago, he would have been holding the hand of his elder son, Tanvir, too.

That will never happen again.

"I was at the bank when I heard that a plane had crashed into the school," Rubel recalled. "When I arrived, I saw that it had struck the very building where my son studied. There was nothing but flames. I searched for him like a madman, but I couldn't find him alive."

Tanvir's body was later handed over to the family from the National Burn Institute before he was buried in their village home.

On 21 July 2025, a Bangladesh Air Force training fighter jet crashed into the Milestone School and College campus in Diabari, Uttara. In a matter of seconds, the disaster shattered dozens of families and transformed an ordinary school day into a national tragedy.

For Rubel, the loss remains as painful today as it was a year ago.

"I used to bring both my sons to school every day," he said. "Tanvir was the class captain. After dropping off my younger son, I would always stop at the gate to speak with him. He would smile at me every morning. Even after a year, that smile remains vivid in my memory."

Now, whenever he visits the campus, he instinctively searches for Tanvir among the hundreds of children.

"I still bring my younger son to school," he said. "But among all these students, I keep looking for Tanvir."

Fear returns whenever aircraft fly overhead

Rubel said the emotional wounds reopen whenever military training aircraft pass over the school.

"Every time I hear a training aircraft overhead, my heart trembles," he said. "A lively, cheerful boy came to school full of happiness, but he returned home as a lifeless body. No father can ever forget such a memory."

He expressed concern that flight training in the area continues.

"Training aircraft still fly regularly according to their schedule. Aircraft continue to take off and land, and there seem to be even more training exercises than before. We live with constant fear that another tragedy could happen."

A campus where memories remain everywhere

The crash claimed 35 lives, including 28 students, making it one of the deadliest aviation disasters involving a school in Bangladesh.

Although the damaged buildings have since been repaired, the emotional impact remains deeply visible.

Parents, teachers and students still remember the lunch boxes, notebooks and shoes that lay scattered across the wreckage. Burn marks left on the walls serve as silent reminders of the devastation and the desperate cries that filled the campus that day.

Teachers still haunted by final conversations

The tragedy continues to weigh heavily on teacher Mehrunnesa, who witnessed students suffering severe burns before her eyes.

One memory refuses to fade.

She recalled her final conversation with student Tasnia.

"I asked her, 'How are you feeling today?'"

"She replied, 'Miss, will you stay with me tonight? Please spend the night with me and tell me stories.'"

Mehrunnesa said she promised to return the following morning.

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"I told her I had come straight from school and had not brought any clothes with me. I said I would come back early the next day and spend the whole day with her. But Allah did not give me that opportunity. I never got to tell her those stories."

Students return to classrooms, but not to normal life

Although classes have resumed, many survivors are still undergoing medical treatment and regular hospital visits. Physical injuries continue to require long-term care, while psychological trauma remains widespread.

"We are all traumatised here," Mehrunnesa said. "Every teacher, every student and every member of staff."

School continues long-term support

Milestone School and College says it has continued supporting affected families since the day of the tragedy.

Retired Colonel Nurun Nabi, the institution's founder and adviser, said the school maintained a dedicated support team at hospitals while injured students were receiving treatment.

"We provided financial assistance to almost every affected family whenever necessary," he said.

"No tuition fees are being charged for injured students. The children of families who lost loved ones are also receiving free education."

The school has also arranged transport for students requiring ongoing hospital treatment and has partnered with a physiotherapy centre to provide rehabilitation services.

"If any student experiences medical problems, they can come to us. We have our own medical officer and we continue to provide assistance whenever possible," he added.

Students still gripped by fear

For many students, the sound of aircraft overhead remains a powerful trigger.

Eleventh-grade student Abdul Based Rafaz recalled being in the school canteen when the aircraft crashed.

"I heard a huge explosion and ran outside. I saw the aircraft had crashed. Even today, whenever training aircraft fly overhead, I become frightened."

Another student, Rafia, said she still panics whenever she hears aircraft engines.

"I will never forget what happened," she said. "Whenever a plane flies over with a loud noise, I immediately fear that another aircraft is about to crash."

A tragedy that time cannot erase

One year may have passed, and life may gradually be returning to normal for many. Calendars will continue to change, but for the Milestone community, the scars remain permanent.

Every aircraft crossing the sky above the campus serves as a painful reminder of the day tragedy descended from above, taking the lives of 28 young students and leaving behind countless grieving families whose loss endures long after the flames were extinguished.