At least 17 students died after a dormitory at a boarding school in central Kenya caught fire on Thursday night, according to police reports.
There are concerns that the death toll could increase, as over a dozen people have been hospitalized with severe burns. Meanwhile, the cause of the fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy, a primary school in Nyeri County, remains unknown.
President William Ruto called the fire “horrific” and “devastating”, and has ordered an investigation.
“Those responsible will be held to account,” Mr Ruto wrote on social media.
A team of investigators has been deployed to the school, police said.
Police spokesperson Resila Onyango told the AFP news agency that bodies recovered were “burnt beyond recognition”.
“More bodies are likely to be recovered once (the) scene is fully processed,” she added.
The Kenya Red Cross said it was providing trauma counselling services to the pupils, teachers and affected families, and had set up a tracing desk at the school.
Hillside Endarasha Academy is a private primary school located near Nyeri town, about 150 km (93 miles) north of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Moreover, the school serves over 800 pupils, most of whom are between the ages of five and twelve.
At least 67 students died in Machakos County, south-east of Nairobi, in the deadliest Kenyan school arson that took place more than 20 years ago.
In conclusion, fires at schools are relatively common in Kenyan boarding schools. In 2017, a tragic arson attack at Moi Girls High School in Nairobi resulted in the deaths of 10 students.
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