After fighting for his life for more than three months, 13-year-old Milestone School and College student Navid Nawaz has finally returned home, marking an emotional milestone in one of Dhaka’s most heartbreaking tragedies.
Navid was discharged today from the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery after spending 97 days in hospital, including 22 days in the Intensive Care Unit, where he was on life support for 10 days. Doctors say his survival is nothing short of extraordinary.
Navid suffered 45 percent burns when a Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into the Milestone School campus in Uttara on 21 July last year. Initially admitted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH), he was transferred to the burn institute the following day as his condition rapidly worsened.
“His condition was extremely critical. Twice we asked the family to prepare for the worst,” said Dr Maruful Islam, joint director of the institute. “But we never gave up.”
Over the course of treatment, Navid underwent at least 36 surgeries, including eight skin grafts—the highest number among all burn victims from the crash. He later spent 35 days in the High Dependency Unit and another 40 days in a cabin before doctors finally declared him fit to return home.
Recalling the early days of treatment, Professor Nasir Uddin, director of the institute, said Navid’s lungs had filled with fluid due to severe burns, forcing doctors to place him on life support in a prone position.
“He kept asking us, ‘Will I survive?’ Seeing him leave the hospital smiling today feels like witnessing a miracle,” he said.
Five other students injured in the same crash are still receiving treatment at the institute but are now in stable condition and expected to be discharged soon.
Navid’s father, Mizanur Rahman, thanked the doctors, nurses and hospital staff for their relentless efforts and urged the nation to continue praying—not only for his son, but for every family affected by the tragedy.
The crash claimed the lives of at least 35 people, most of them students, and left more than 150 injured, leaving a deep scar on the nation’s conscience.
>> After 97 Days Between Life and Death, Milestone Student Navid Comes Home
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