Nairobi, Kenya — A fire at a school dormitory in central Kenya killed 17 students and seriously burned 13 others, police said Friday.
There are fears that the death toll could rise, the police say. There was no initial word on the ages of the students.
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The cause of the fire at Hillside Endarasha Primary in Nyeri county is being investigated, police spokesperson Resila Onyango said. “We are investigating the cause and will take necessary action,” she said.
Agence France-Presse quotes her as saying that “the bodies recovered at the scene were burned beyond recognition”.
AFP quotes the police as saying that the fire broke out at midnight and went out in the dormitory while the students were sleeping.
School fires are common in Kenyan boarding schools, where many students live because parents believe it gives them more time to study without long commutes.
Some fires have been set by students during protests over workload or living conditions. In 2017, 10 high school students died in a school fire in the capital, Nairobi.