A blazing fire at a girls’ dormitory in Kenya school on Thursday killed 16 children and left 79 others hospitalised in the latest deadly school blaze to hit the East African country.
The fire broke out shortly before 1:00 a.m. local time at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru County, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of the capital, Nairobi, officials said.
Kenya has witnessed several devastating school fires over the years, particularly in boarding schools, which remain common due to the country’s colonial-era education system established by missionaries and the British, AFP reported.
Authorities have yet to confirm the ages of the victims.
“We have 16 fatalities. It’s an unfortunate incident,” Education Minister Julius Migos Ogamba told reporters at the scene.
