For students, unto death

Mahreen Chowdhury, 46, a coordinator of Milestone School and College in Dhaka's Uttara, died yesterday after sustaining 80 percent burns while trying to escort students outside after a Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into one of the school buildings.

After fighting for her life for hours on life support at Dhaka Medical College Hospital's ICU, she succumbed to her injuries around 10:00pm.

Before being placed on life support, Mahreen was able to speak briefly with her husband, Monsur Helal. He said, "She told me school had just ended and she was helping the children leave when the plane crashed right outside the gate. Even after being burned herself, she tried to save them."

Mahreen was responsible for escorting students to the gate to ensure they safely reached their parents. According to news reports, she managed to lead at least 20 children out while sustaining injuries herself.

Her brother, Munaf Mojib Chowdhury, told The Daily Star last night, "She was on her way out of the school when the incident occurred, but she saw students trapped inside. She knew she had to get them out."

Monsur later told reporters, "From head to toe, she's completely burnt. It looked like 100 percent to me."