In a Facebook post, Purnima Das, an eyewitness to the incident, wrote, “Do not spread false information. I was trapped in the fire myself. You, sitting behind your screens, don’t know more than me, do you?” She explained that classes at the school ended at 1:00 PM. One or two minutes later, she entered the Sky Section and found only one student present, as most had already left after classes. However, some students returned to the Sky Section because their guardians had not yet arrived. Another teacher took these students to a different section, but five or six returned to the Sky Section, some of whom were tragically lost. “Some might have been playing in the corridor, others running on the stairs,” she added.
According to Purnima, the Cloud Section suffered more damage than the Sky Section, with a higher number of students present. Teachers Maherin Chowdhury, Masuka, and Mahfuza were severely injured while trying to rescue students. Maherin and Masuka lost their lives, while Mahfuza remains on life support. In the adjacent Moyna Section, some students were injured but none died. However, one student from the nearby Doyel Section passed away. Students in the Tuberose and Waterlily Sections were unharmed. Two classrooms and a teachers’ room on the second floor were burned, with around 10 to 20 students present at the time.
Purnima noted that estimating the number of students at the swings or in the corridors outside Haider Ali Building is difficult. She added that some bodies were so badly burned that they could not be recovered. Addressing claims on social media that the bodies of deceased students were being “disappeared,” Purnima expressed her frustration, stating, “We are teachers, not politicians. Even if we couldn’t save a child, we will do everything to ensure their body reaches their parents.”
She further highlighted the dedication of the teachers, saying, “You have no idea how these teachers protect the children. Every day at dismissal, Maherin Miss stood at the gate, ensuring every child was handed over to their guardian. She wouldn’t leave until the last child was safe.” Urging people not to spread rumors, she said, “The death toll will rise on its own; you don’t need to inflate it. Let us pray for every flower that withered too soon—our teachers, staff, and young students.”
