Bangladesh: One year after deadly jet crash, families demand answers.

In the year On July 21, 2025, a training aircraft took off from the Bangladesh Air Force base in Dhaka at around 13:00 local time (07:00 GMT) and crashed shortly after in the Uttara base.

Images from the scene hours after the crash show dozens of emergency workers sifting through the charred wreckage to find survivors.

The country’s authorities stated that a commission of inquiry had been established to investigate the accident, but in the following days, hundreds of student protesters took to the streets and clashed with the police, demanding responsibility for the accident and changing flight training regulations.

The committee’s findings, which were reported to the government last November, have not yet been made public.

A full report obtained by BBC Bengali highlighted issues such as non-compliance with building regulations at Millstone School. It also found more than 600 buildings – schools and hospitals – near Dhaka International Airport that violated height restrictions.

The report indicated that the pilot did not have adequate flight training and proper ground control. And the report says there was no technical fault with the jet, contradicting earlier statements by the Bangladeshi military that the plane suffered a mechanical failure after take-off.

The Bangladeshi armed forces did not respond to a request for comment.

“No one can guarantee that another plane will not go down in the future,” Mansour Helal, the husband of one of the victims, said at the memorial, referring to a recent BBC documentary about the committee’s report.

“This is really a terrible situation, every day 2,500-3,000 students go to that school.”

Helal’s wife was Mahreen Chaudhuri, a school teacher. She was admitted to the hospital with severe burns while rescuing students and died.

“The building where this disaster happened had only one door. How can there be only one door for 800-900 students?” Halal added.

Helal and others are calling on the government to release the full report.

Survivors who are undergoing treatment have demanded better government support and compensation for them and the victims’ families. It was recommended in the report of the inquiry committee but has not yet been implemented.