17 school children have died in a fire that engulfed their dormitory at a primary boarding school at Hillside Endarasha Academy, Kenya on Thursday night.
“We have lost 17 pupils in the fire incident while 14 are injured. Our team is at the scene at the moment.” said Resila Onyango, the spokesperson for the school.
According to Kenya President, William Ruto, who has ordered an investigation, the fire burnt the students beyond recognition and described it as “horrific” and “devastating.’
“I instruct relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate this horrific incident. Those responsible will be held to account,” Ruto posted on X.
Police report indicates that more than 150 pupils were in the dormitory when it caught fire at around midnight.
The fire spread very fast as most of the buildings in the school were made of timber, according to a journalist from network Citizen TV.
