The death toll in a Bangladeshi Air Force fighter jet crash rose to 27 people, including 25 children, a government official said Tuesday, writes France24.

Bangladesh is observing a day of national mourning after a Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft on Monday slammed into a school in the heart of the capital, Dhaka.

Families and teachers gathered Tuesday at a Bangladeshi school where a training fighter jet crashed, killing 25 children and two others in the country"s deadliest aviation accident in decades. Most of the victims were pupils who had just been let out of class when the Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft slammed into the Milestone School and College on Monday.

"So far, 27 people have died. Among them, 25 are children and one is a pilot", said Sayedur Rahman from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, updating an earlier death toll of 20. "Seventy-eight people are being treated in different hospitals", added Rahman, special assistant to the ministry`s chief adviser.

More than 170 people were injured in the crash, said the military which is investigating the cause. The usually bustling school was eerily quiet on Tuesday morning, with classes cancelled.

"Along with the children, the school has lost its life", said teacher Shahadat Hossain, whose son narrowly escaped the crash. "There are two swings in front of the affected building. During lunch breaks and after school, children play there. Even yesterday, around the time the plane crashed, students were on those swings".

Around 7,000 pupils are enrolled at the school, including Abul Bashar’s sixth-grade son whose best friend was killed.