Highlights:

• Govt finalising compensation for Uttara school jet crash victims
• Families of deceased children to receive up to Tk1 crore
• Injured victims compensated by severity and age, Tk60 lakh maximum
• Separate long-term medical rehabilitation support approved for burn victims
• Payments split between cash and long-term government savings schemes
• Crash killed 35, injured 172, mostly schoolchildren, on 21 July

The government is set to finalise a compensation package for those killed and injured in the Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crash at Milestone School and College in Uttara, with payments of up to Tk1 crore for families of the deceased and up to Tk60 lakh for the injured.

The proposal will be placed for approval at an inter-ministerial meeting on 31 December, according to documents prepared by the finance ministry.

Under the draft plan, families of children and students below 18 years of age who were killed in the crash would receive Tk1 crore each. In cases where the deceased was an adult, the proposed compensation is Tk80 lakh.

For those who survived but suffered burn injuries, the amount would depend on the severity of the injuries. Children with severe or long-term burn injuries could receive up to Tk60 lakh, while adults in the same category could receive up to Tk40 lakh. 

Victims with moderate injuries may receive Tk30 lakh for children and Tk20 lakh for adults. Those with comparatively minor or short-term injuries would be eligible for Tk15 lakh for children and Tk10 lakh for adults.

Apart from this, the government plans a separate medical rehabilitation support package. Burn victims who need treatment for up to 15 years would receive Tk15 lakh for medical expenses, while those needing treatment for around 10 years would get Tk9 lakh. 

Infograph: TBS

Victims requiring treatment for about five years would receive Tk1 lakh. These medical support amounts are based on treatment guidelines of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.

The proposed payment method is also structured to provide long-term security. For families of those killed, half of the compensation would be paid in cash, while the remaining half would be invested in government savings certificates for five years. 

In the case of injured children, half of the compensation would be paid in two instalments, one year apart, while the remaining half would be kept in long-term savings that cannot be withdrawn until the child turns 25. Injured adults would receive similar payments, though their savings portion would be locked in for five years.

The money will come from the government’s Disaster Management Fund and District Disaster Management Funds. Officials said the compensation amounts were recommended by a government-formed investigation commission, which considered the long-term physical, mental, financial and social impact on the victims and their families.

The commission did not recommend a separate compensation package for the family of the young pilot who died in the crash, noting that the Bangladesh Air Force will compensate the pilot’s family under its own rules.

A finance ministry official said the government has provided compensation in past tragedies and that special attention was given in this case because many of the victims were schoolchildren. The final decision will be taken at the upcoming inter-ministerial meeting.

The crash occurred on 21 July, when a Bangladesh Air Force F-7 BGI fighter jet went down on a building inside the Milestone School and College campus in Diabari, Uttara. At least 35 people were killed and around 172 others injured, most of them children, many of whom suffered severe burn injuries.