Nairobi, Kenya — A hearth in a college dormitory in central Kenya killed 17 college students and severely burned 13 others, police mentioned Friday.
There are fears that the dying toll could rise, police mentioned.
The first college has about 800 pupils, between roughly five- and 12-years-old, Agence France stories, including that police mentioned the typical age of the victims was round 9.
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The reason for the fireplace at Hillside Endarasha Major in Nyeri county was being investigated, police spokesperson Resila Onyango mentioned. “We’re investigating the trigger and can take vital motion,” she mentioned.
AFP quotes her as saying the “our bodies recovered on the scene have been burnt past recognition.”
AFP cites police as saying the blaze broke out round midnight and engulfed the dorm as the scholars slept.
The Kenyan Crimson Cross was helping a multi-agency response group on the scene. In a submit on X, the company mentioned it was “offering psychosocial assist companies to the pupils, academics and affected households.”
President William Ruto referred to as the information “devastating” and mentioned motion could be taken in opposition to these accountable.
“I instruct related authorities to completely examine this horrific incident. These accountable will probably be held to account,” he wrote on the social media platform X.
His deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, urged college directors to make sure that security tips advisable by the schooling ministry for boarding colleges are being adopted.
College fires are frequent in Kenyan boarding colleges, the place many college students keep as a result of dad and mom consider it provides them extra time to check with out lengthy commutes.
Some fires have been began by college students throughout protests over the workload or dwelling circumstances. In 2017, 10 highschool college students died in a college fireplace within the capital, Nairobi.