Thousands of students protest for accurate information as Dhaka crash toll rises to 31

Thousands of students on Tuesday protested demanding “accurate” information on casualties and compensation for the families of those killed when a Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into a school, as the death toll in the incident rose to 31, including 25 children.

The students of Milestone School and College also demanded the immediate discontinuation of outdated and unsafe training aircraft used by the Bangladesh Air Force.

They alleged that the authorities were deliberately hiding the actual death toll.

Their demands include a complete list of the injured; a public apology for the assault on teachers by army personnel at the crash site, and reforms in Air Force training procedures to ensure safety.

“State advisers were expected to make a clear statement, and reveal the actual number of the dead, but they did not,” a protester told reporters. Despite security vigils by troops, the students laid a siege to the building where the advisers took shelter.