Milestone tragedy: I thought my eardrums would burst, survivor Zunaid recalls horror

Five days have passed since the tragic plane crash at Milestone School and College in Uttara, but for survivors like Zunaid Siddiqui, a Class VII student, the trauma is still fresh, the memories relentless.

On Saturday, July 26, at around 11:00am, Zunaid returned to the campus – not for class, but to confront the place where his childhood ended.

He walked silently through the gates, wandered the quiet grounds for nearly half an hour, and emerged at 11:30am, shaken.

Standing in front of the school gate, his voice trembling, Zunaid recounted the horrifying moments of July 21:  “There was a sound – so loud, so sudden,” he said. “I thought my eardrums would burst. Everyone started screaming. We all ran in panic, not knowing where to go.”

He paused, eyes distant.  

“After a while, I calmed down and went toward the building where the plane crashed. What I saw… I can’t explain it. Arms and legs were scattered. Many students were burned in the fire. It was… a scene from a nightmare.”

He added softly, “Now, every night when I close my eyes, that image comes back. I can’t sleep. I can’t think. How can I even imagine going back to class? How can I take exams when all I see is fire and blood?”

Zunaid’s words echo the silent pain of countless students who survived but are far from safe.

Tragedy continues to unfold even in the aftermath.  On Saturday, Zarif, another student, succumbed to his injuries.  Masuma, a school nanny, also passed away.  

With these deaths, the confirmed death toll from the July 21 crash has now reached 35.

Dozens more remain hospitalised, many in critical condition at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery and other hospitals across Dhaka.