Kenya: Fire kills at least 15 at a girls' boarding school – dw.com

At least 16 students were killed and 73 injured at a girls’ boarding school in central Kenya, authorities said.
At least 16 students were killed and 73 injured at a girls’ boarding school in central Kenya early Thursday, police officials said.
The Kenyan Red Cross said the blaze broke out around 1:00 in the morning at the Utumishi Girls’ Academy Senior ‌School in Gilgil, but was only reported only more than two hours later.
“First responders, ambulance crew and our support personnel are currently on the ground,” a spokesperson for the Red Cross told French news agency AFP.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Authorities have confirmed that the fire has been contained.
“It is a distressing and saddening situation,” county police official Masoud Mwinyi said addressing ​distraught parents outside the school, according to media reports.
Mwinyi told ⁠reporters that around 50 officers were searching the areas around the school for students who may have fled when the blaze broke out.
School fires are relatively common in Kenya where electrical faults and arson have contributed to past tragedies. Experts say many of the fires were started by students protesting harsh discipline and poor conditions.
Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher

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