Hillside Endarasha Primary school in central Kenya caught fire on Thursday night, killing at least 17 students. Since over a dozen more people have been admitted to the hospital with severe burns, there are worries that the number of fatalities may increase, reported BBC.
Authorities in Nyeri county are looking into the cause of the incident at , a police spokesperson informed local media and an investigative team has also been sent over to the school.
According to BBC, the Kenya Red Cross says that it has established a tracing station at the school and is offering psychosocial support services to the students, teachers, and their families.
School fires not uncommon in Kenya
Boarding schools in Kenya are comparatively prone to school fires.
In 2017, an arson assault at Moi Girls High School in Nairobi's capital claimed the lives of ten girls. The 18-year-old committed the crime in 2017, when she was 14 and in her first year at the prestigious Moi Girls School. The student was found guilty of manslaughter in December 2021, after being acquitted of murder. The judge argued that she did not mean to murder her classmates, but rather caused the fire in order to be sent to another school, reported BBC.
The deadliest Kenyan school arson occurred more than 20 years ago in Machakos County, southeast of Nairobi, and claimed the lives of at least 67 kids.
