India Dispatches Burn Specialists to Dhaka After Bangladesh Air Force Jet Crash Killed 27

In a swift demonstration of regional solidarity and humanitarian commitment, India has sent a specialized medical team to Bangladesh in the aftermath of the devastating Air Force jet crash in Dhaka that claimed at least 27 lives and injured over 170, many of them school students.

Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurance of “all possible assistance and support” to Bangladesh, a team comprising two top-tier burn specialists and a nursing assistant from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi landed in Dhaka this evening. 

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The team will begin critical care work at a designated hospital on July 24, focusing on patients suffering severe burn injuries.

The crash occurred on July 21 when an F-7 BGI fighter aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force reportedly suffered a technical malfunction shortly after takeoff from Kurmitola base and plummeted into Milestone School and College in Dhaka’s Uttara neighbourhood. 

The jet burst into flames on impact with a two-story school building, resulting in one of the deadliest aviation tragedies in the country’s capital in recent memory.

According to local reports and the military, the pilot--who died in the incident--had attempted to steer away from densely populated areas, likely preventing even greater loss of life. 

However, the toll is already staggering: 27 dead, many of them students, and over 160 injured, mostly children who were attending afternoon classes.

India’s medical team, with its deep experience in burn trauma, will not only provide immediate care but also assess patients for further treatment and possible transfer to Indian facilities, should advanced care be required. 

Additional medical teams may be dispatched depending on preliminary findings, sources said.

The humanitarian outreach is a part of India’s longstanding “Neighbourhood First” policy and shows New Delhi’s role as a first responder in South Asia. It also underlines India's historic friendship with the nation in grief.

Bangladesh had declared a national day of mourning, with flags at half-staff across the country. Investigations are underway by a high-level committee of the Bangladesh Air Force to determine the cause of the crash.