Brigadier General (Retd.) M Sakhawat Hossain, Adviser to the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Ministry of Shipping, has urged the Ministry of Defence to reassess the designated zones for Bangladesh Air Force training flights.
He made the remarks on Tuesday morning (22 July) while visiting the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery to check on the condition of those injured in Monday’s tragic crash.
On 21 July, a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed near Milestone School and College in Uttara, Dhaka, killing Flight Lieutenant Tawfiq Islam. The incident has sparked concerns about conducting training flights over densely populated urban areas.
Sakhawat Hossain stressed that such incidents must be avoided in the future. “The Ministry of Defence and concerned authorities should review both the location and method of training flights,” he said. “Dhaka is a highly populated city—this factor must be seriously considered.”
He acknowledged that crashes can occur due to pilot error or technical malfunctions but noted that the cause of this specific incident remains unclear until the aircraft’s black box is recovered.
While the aircraft used in training may be older models, their internal systems are regularly updated, he added.
Speaking on the condition of the injured, Sakhawat Hossain confirmed that 10 individuals have already died due to severe burns, and several others are in critical condition, requiring long-term treatment. He noted that a team of medical experts from Singapore is arriving to assist, and some patients may be transferred abroad for further care if needed.
The government, he assured, is committed to providing the best possible treatment for the injured.
