In Kenya, a fire at a girls' school dormitory killed at least 16 students and injured 79 others. Reuters reported this on May 28, citing government data.
The fire occurred after midnight at Utumishi Girls' Academy Senior School in the central-west city of Gilgil, where girls aged 15 to 18 study. According to the Ministry of Education, most of the victims have already been discharged from hospitals. In total, the fire lasted more than two hours.
Eyewitnesses and rescuers who arrived on the scene first said that the fire started in one of the rooms of the dormitory. According to some eyewitnesses, the fire could have started after one of the students set fire to a mattress, but this version has not yet been officially confirmed, and authorities urge not to draw conclusions until the investigation is completed.
According to eyewitnesses, some of the doors on the upper floors were closed, as a result of which some students were trapped inside. They tried to escape by jumping from windows and balconies as the fire quickly spread through the building.
In the morning, hundreds of parents and relatives gathered outside the school, looking for information about the children.
