A fire at a school dormitory in Kenya has reportedly left at least 18 students dead. Additionally, multiple have reportedly been hospitalized while dozens remain unaccounted for.
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More Details On The Dormitory Fire In Kenya
According to AP News, the fire broke out at the Hillside Endarasha Primary school in Nyeri County on the evening of Thursday, September 5. The school reportedly serves children up to fourteen years old in age and hosts over 820 students. Meanwhile, the domitory reportedly housed about 150 male students.
Furthermore, the outlet notes that the school was reportedly constructed with wooden planks. Therefore, the fire spread quickly.
Per AP News, the country’s deputy president, William Ruto, has asserted that 18 children have passed away. Twenty seven others reportedly remain hospitalized and about 70 children are unaccounted for.
A spokesperson for the Kenya National Police Service reportedly stated that the bodies of the deceased had been “burnt beyond recognition,” per CNN.
Officials Speak Out About The Dormitory Fire
According to the outlet, officials are now working to “consolidate” and numbers and make sure every child is accounted for who was in the school at the time of the fire.
“We are asking the parents who picked up their children and the community to support us as we consolidate the numbers to ensure that we account for every child who was boarding in this school,” Belio Kipsang, the permanent secretary for Kenya’s education ministry, reportedly stated per AP News.
Meanwhile, President Ruto took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to wish a “speedy recovery” on the survivors of the fire. Additionally, the president vowed that those responsible for the fire will be “held to account.”
“Our thoughts are with the families of the children who have lost their lives in the fire tragedy at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County. This is devastating news. We pray for speedy recovery to the survivors,” he wrote. “I instruct relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate this horrific incident. Those responsible will be held to account. The Government… is mobilising all the necessary resources to support the affected families.”
Our thoughts are with the families of the children who have lost their lives in the fire tragedy at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County.
This is devastating news.
We pray for speedy recovery to the survivors.
I instruct relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate…
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) September 6, 2024
According to the outlet, most families in the country utilize boarding schools for their children to alleviate “long commutes.” School fires in the area are reported to be “common… often caused by arson fueled by drug abuse and overcrowding.”
Furthermore, at this time, it remains unclear whether the boarding school had proper safety protocols in place to prevent the risk of a fire and faciliate a safe exit if one had occurred.
Here’s What Recently Happened In Kenya
As The Shade Room previously reported, Kenya made national headlines in June. At the time, protesters had reportedly swarmed the parliament in protest of Ruto’s leadership.
The incident reportedly resulted in at least five people being killed while more than 30 individuals were left injured. Furthermore, to quell the protests, Kenya police dressed in riot gear reportedly swarmed the area, unleashing tear gas on rioters.
In addition to making national headlines, footage also went viral of former President Barack Obama’s sister, Auma, being teargassed amid the civil unrest.
