Students feared dead after school fire in Kenya

Robert Maina

An unknown number of students are feared dead following a fire at a boarding school in Gilgil, about 120km (77 miles) west of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

The fire at the Utumishi Girls school started in the early hours of Thursday morning when the students were asleep, according to the Kenya Red Cross and police.

Police said search and rescue operations were under way with authorities yet to establish the cause of the fire and the number of casualties. The Kenya Red Cross said emergency responders were on ground to offer support.

“It is a sad and saddening situation,” police commander Masoud Mwinyi said, speaking to parents and crowds outside the school.

Fires are not uncommon in Kenyan boarding schools, with several deadly incidents reported in recent years. The failure to follow safety guidelines have been blamed for the high number of casualties.

Some media outlets have said that at least 10 students died in Thursday’s fire, citing a senior police official.

Mwinyi told journalists at the scene that some students had been injured and were being treated in hospital. He added that investigations were ongoing and that the number of casualties still needed to be verified.

The school has been cordoned off, with only parents being allowed inside.

Getty Images/BBC

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