Distressed dad and mom and kin stand close to a burned-out dormitory, following a fireplace on the Hillside Endarasha Main in Nyeri, Kenya Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Picture)
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NAIROBI, Kenya — A hearth in a college dormitory in Kenya killed 17 college students and critically burned 13 others, police mentioned Friday.
There are fears that the dying toll could rise, police mentioned.
The reason for the fireplace Thursday evening at Hillside Endarasha Main in Nyeri county was being investigated, police spokesperson Resila Onyango mentioned. The varsity caters to kids as much as the age of 14.
Nyeri County Commissioner Pius Murugu and the training ministry reported that the dormitory that caught hearth housed greater than 150 boys aged between 10 and 14. Since many of the buildings are constructed with wood planks, the fireplace unfold very quick.
The varsity, which has 824 college students, is situated within the nation’s central highlands, 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the capital, Nairobi, the place wood constructions are frequent.
The Nyeri County governor, Mutahi Kahiga, informed journalists that rescue efforts have been hampered by the muddy roads attributable to ongoing rains within the space.
Anxious dad and mom who had been unable to hint their kids amongst survivors waited on the faculty, engulfed with grief.
President William Ruto referred to as the information “devastating.”
“I instruct related authorities to completely examine this horrific incident. These accountable will likely be held to account,” he wrote on the social media platform X.
His deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, urged faculty directors to make sure that security tips advisable by the training ministry for boarding colleges are being adopted.
College fires are frequent in Kenyan boarding colleges, usually as a consequence of arson fueled by drug abuse and overcrowding, in response to a current training ministry report. Many college students keep at college as a result of dad and mom imagine 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 hearth began by a pupil in Nairobi.
The deadliest faculty hearth was in 2001 when 67 college students died in a dormitory hearth in Machakos county.
The training ministry’s tips suggest that dormitories must be spacious sufficient and have two doorways on every finish, an emergency door within the center and that home windows usually are not fitted with grills to permit for escape in case of fireplace. Absolutely serviced hearth extinguishers and hearth alarms are required at simply accessible spots.
