Dhaka, July 22 -- The horror of the Uttara Milestone School plane crash still hangs heavy in the air. Among the many who suffered, seventh-grader Ayan is now fighting for his life inside the ICU at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. His tiny body bears 45 per cent burns, and his fragile lungs-damaged from fire and smoke-are struggling to keep him alive. Amidst all this suffering, Ayan's soft but desperate words to his family cut the deepest: "I don't want to stay here anymore. Please take me home."

His cousin, Rahib, stood outside the ICU on Tuesday afternoon, visibly shaken. "Ayan's 45 per cent burned. His airway has been severely damaged. Doctors had to put him on artificial ventilation. He's in ICU bed number 14 now. ...