Mahreen Chowdury, a longtime teacher at Milestone School and College in Dhaka, Bangladesh, tragically passed away after rescuing more than 20 students from a burning building following a devastating plane crash.
According to the BBC, an air force fighter jet crashed into the school, igniting an intense blaze. As chaos unfolded, Mahreen didn’t run from the flames—she ran into them. The beloved educator pushed past thick smoke and collapsing walls to get her students out of their classrooms, dragging children to safety one by one.
Her husband, Mansur Helal, shared that Mahreen told him before losing consciousness that she had tried to pull out 20 to 25 people from the burning site. She was rushed to the National Burn Institute, where she was placed on a ventilator in the ICU. Sadly, she passed away Monday after sustaining burns to nearly 100% of her body.
Mahreen Chowdury’s Legacy: 17 Years of Devotion to Education
Mahreen wasn’t just a teacher — she was a pillar of the Milestone School community. Having worked at the school for 17 years, she began her journey in the classroom and later advanced to become the coordinator for the Bangla department, overseeing curriculum for students in classes two through five.
The plane involved in the crash was a Bangladesh Air Force F7 fighter jet. Officials stated that the jet took off for a routine training exercise but experienced a mechanical failure mid-air. In an attempt to minimize casualties, the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Md. Taukir Islam — tried steering away from heavily populated areas before it ultimately crashed into the school.
The result was catastrophic:
- Over 160 people were injured
- Most of the victims were aged between 10 and 15 years old
- More than 50 students were hospitalized with serious burns
Emergency responders and local residents collaborated with teachers to rescue survivors from the rubble. The government has launched a full investigation into the incident and has temporarily grounded other aircraft of the same model pending safety checks.