Kenya primary school fire kills 17 students
Stockholm, September 6 (Hibya) - At least 17 students were killed when a fire broke out in a dormitory at a boarding school in central Kenya on Thursday night, police said, according to the BBC.
There are fears the death toll could rise as more than a dozen people have been taken to hospital with serious burns.
The cause of the blaze at Hillside Endarasha Academy, a Nyeri County primary school, is unknown.
President William Ruto described the blaze as "horrific" and "devastating" and ordered an investigation.
Police Chief Pius Murugu said more than 150 students were inside the dormitory when the fire broke out at around 15:00 local time (12:00 GMT).
Hillside Endarasha Academy is a private primary school with more than 800 students, mostly aged five to 12, located near Nyeri, 150 km (93 miles) north of the capital, Nairobi.
School fires are known to be relatively common in Kenyan boarding schools.
In 2017, 10 students were killed in an arson attack at Moi Girls High School in the capital Nairobi. At least 67 students were killed in Kenya’s deadliest school arson attack in more than 20 years, which took place in Machakos County, southeast of Nairobi.
Albania News Agency
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