Seventeen (17) boys have been killed after a fire raged through the dormitory in which they were sleeping at a boarding school in Central Kenya.
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| Parents of the boys killed in the fire at the dormitory at the Hillside Endarasha Academy, in Kieni, Nyeri County, Kenya on Friday 6 September, 2024. Photo: Reuters via sabcnews.com |
According to Police, the sad incident occurred in the early hours of Friday.
A local resident, Phillip Gathogo, told newsmen, “We saw several children in there that had been burnt.
“I was just lucky to save one of them, but I heard that he later died. It was a very troubling and sad tragedy.”
The fire happened at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri, a primary boarding school for young students, located about 150 km (93 miles) from Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
Isaac Mwaura, Government spokesperson, said, the boys were in grades 4 to 8, putting their ages at about 9 to 13-years-old.
He disclosed via a statement, the dormitory accommodated 156 students.
Resila Onyango, Police spokesperson, said, “We have lost 17 pupils in the fire incident while 14 are injured. Our team is at the scene at the moment.”
Citizens Television said, the fire burnt the boys beyond recognition.
The cause of the fire remains unknown.
