Almost every afternoon, Reshma Karim keeps a plateful of food on the table for her 14-year-old son, as she waits for him to return from school.

As the hours pass, she keeps asking her husband, Rezaul Karim, why their only son, Samiul Karim Samir, has not yet come back.

Meanwhile, Rezaul takes medication to cope with the memories of one specific tragic afternoon.

One year ago, on July 21, 2025, an aircraft crashed into Milestone School and College in Uttara, killing 36 people and injuring over 150 others.

Samir was among the deceased.

The 14-year-old grade seven student died before his mother could see him return home from school. A year later, Reshma remains under psychiatric treatment and continues to rely on medication.

Speaking to The Daily Star yesterday, Rezaul said he had gone to collect Samir from school that day and reached the gate around 1:05pm.

“As I entered the premises, I saw my son coming down the stairs of the two-storey building and then walking across the field towards me. He was only eight to 10 arm’s lengths away….”

Just as Rezaul started moving towards Samir, the aircraft came crashing down just behind the boy, and one of its wings struck him.

“I leapt and grabbed him. My clothes were soaked in his blood... There was thick smoke, and then the fire started.”

Doctors later declared Samir dead later that day. He was buried the following day at the family’s village home in Barishal’s Mehendiganj upazila.

“I keep thinking that if I had reached him a few seconds earlier, perhaps I could have caught him and saved him,” Rezaul said, repeatedly breaking down.

Speaking about his wife, he said, “She sits with his food for hours... Sometimes she asks me, ‘You took my son to school. Why has he not returned?’”

For many bereaved families like Rezaul and Reshma’s, the first anniversary of the incident has brought no closure. They say promises of compensation, justice and recognition remain unfulfilled.

Visiting the school yesterday, this newspaper found workers demolishing the building that was struck by the aircraft. School staff said another multi-storey building would be built there.

Inside the campus, a large poster displayed photographs of those killed. Classes began at 9:00am instead of the usual 8:00am, while remembrance programmes were being planned.

Fahim Ahmed, now in grade seven, said he was leaving the school after classes that day when he heard a deafening sound. He turned and saw the aircraft crash about 20 yards away.

“There was heavy smoke, and then fire. Everyone was screaming and running,” he told this correspondent.

One year on, the trauma has not left him.

“Aircraft fly over the school every 20 to 25 minutes... Whenever one makes an unusually loud noise, I keep thinking another aircraft is falling,” he said.

Ashraful Islam and his wife, Tahmina Akhter, lost both their children -- daughter Tania Ashraf Nazia, a grade six student, and son Aryan Ashraf Nafi, a grade two student -- in the tragedy.

“We have become childless... Only those who have lost all their children can understand how difficult it is to remain alive,” Ashraful said.

When he and Tahmina went to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery following the crash, they heard a boy with severe burns calling out -- “I am Nafi, I am Nafi.” The burns had left him unrecognizable, Ashraful said.

Ashraful, who once ran a tyre business worth at least 1 crore, said he had to watch his two children die within days of each other. “I can no longer focus on work... We have become living corpses.”

Usai Mong Marma, a government employee, and his wife, a primary school teacher, also lost their only son -- Ukya Chhaing Marma, who was born seven years after their marriage.

The grade seven student was sent from Bandarban to Milestone School and College in January 2025. His parents wanted him to become an engineer and later study abroad.

Usai said they spent more than Tk 40,000 a month on their son’s hostel, tuition and education. “One aircraft crash put a stop to all our dreams.”

After the incident, Ukya was first taken to Kuwait Bangladesh Friendship Government Hospital and later transferred to the burn institute. When Usai reached the institute around 10:00pm that night, he found his son unconscious.

Doctors said he had suffered 100 percent burns and had been sedated because of the pain. He died around 2:30am.

“My greatest regret is that I could not speak to him for the last time,” Usai said.

The parents took his body back to the hills and visit his grave every day to pray for their son’s soul. Both have been struggling with work and sleep as memories of their boy keep surfacing.

The victims’ families say their four principal demands are the disbursement of compensation, the declaration of July 21 as a national mourning day, state recognition of the dead as martyrs with certificates, and justice through a proper investigation.

Col (retd) Nurun Nabi, adviser to Milestone School and College, denied that the buildings violated the building code, saying they had Rajuk approval.

He said 35 students and staff members of the institution, the pilot, and a passer-by died, while treatment for the injured was still continuing. He added that the previous interim government had proposed grants for the bereaved families, but guardians considered the amount inadequate.

“Discussions over compensation are still under way,” he said.

Along with prayers held yesterday, the school will hold another programme at 3:00pm today with a ceremonial salute. School authorities are also considering building a memorial in consultation with guardians.

Meanwhile, a government-appointed probe commission later found that pilot error during take-off caused the crash. It also identified safety code violations at the school and made over 30 recommendations.