BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday met with the members of five families who lost their children in the recent plane crash at Milestone School and College in the city’s Uttara area.

Fakhrul, along with some BNP leaders, first went to Tarartek in Diabari of Uttara and offered fateha at the graves of three students killed in the aircraft crash — Umayer Nur Ashiq, Borhan Uddin Bappy, and Mahit Hasan Arian — around 11am at their family graveyard, and prayed for the salvation of their departed souls.

Later, he met with the bereaved family members and spent time with them, offering words of comfort and support.

Ashiq, Bappy, and Arian belonged to the same family and were cousins.

The three of them grew up together in the Tarartek Mosque area of Diabari, Uttara.

Fakhrul then went to the nearby Nayanagar area and offered fateha at the graves of two more students — Junayed and Shariar.

He also spoke to the family members of the two students and consoled them, saying, “This is a heartbreaking tragedy, not just for you but for the whole nation. We stand with you in this painful time.”

Like the entire nation, Fakhrul said the BNP is also mourning this deep loss.

Uttara jet crash: Death toll stands at 30

He said BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman had asked him to visit the grieving families to convey the party’s deepest condolences and to assure them that the party stands beside them in this difficult time.

Expressing his sorrow over the tragedy, Fakhrul said, “Whenever we hear about the death of children in any accident, it deeply hurts us. Children are always the future — of the family, of the nation.”

“The pain of losing a child is beyond words. We have no language to offer comfort. But we stand with you in this time of sorrow,” he added.

BNP Dhaka North city unit Member Secretary Mostafa Zaman, Joint Convenor SM Jahangir and BNP Media Cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan, among others, were present.