Death toll from a Bangladeshi fighter jet crash into a school in Dhaka has risen to 27, with most of the victims being children.
Gatekeepers News reports that according to Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 25 of the dead are children, and one is the pilot.
The Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft crashed into the Milestone School and College on Monday, leaving over 170 people injured. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam, was on a routine training mission when the jet reportedly encountered a mechanical failure.
“The exact cause remains under investigation,” the military said in a statement. The pilot tried to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas, but it crashed into the two-storey school building despite his best efforts.
The interim government of Muhammad Yunus declared Tuesday a day of national mourning, expressing “deep grief and sorrow” over the incident.
“The loss suffered by the Air Force, the students, parents, teachers, and staff of Milestone School and College, as well as others affected by this accident, is irreparable,” Yunus said.
