At least 17 students have burned to death in a fire incident that occurred in Hillside Endarasha Primary School in Nyeri County, which is in central Kenya, as a local news agency reported on Friday. The fire, which occurred at about midnight, burnt classrooms that housed children who were sleeping, hence claiming the lives of some of the children. The fire has roasted the bodies of the victims beyond identification; Resila Onyango, a spokesperson of the Kenya National Police Service, disclosed this.
Besides the loss of precious lives, over ten students are in critical condition in various health facilities suffering from serious burns, and the number of dead might still increase as police continue with investigations. Fire begins have been stated to cause the incident; however, the government has initiated an investigation to find out how the incident happened.
Kenya President William Ruto took to his Twitter and Facebook accounts to offer condolences over the sad occurrence. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Ruto extended his condolences to the families of the deceased and assured them that the government would support them. He called for a proper probe into the incident while stating that all those involved in the fire incident would be brought to book. “I appeal to parents of the children who have lost their lives in this terrible fire mishap our thoughts are with you,” Ruto said. “I order the respective officials to look into the matter deeply and we are working to ensure all the necessary facilities are provided to the affected families. ”
The Kenya Red Cross also reacted to the tragedy through a tweet indicating it was ready to offer psychosocial support to the students, teachers and families affected by the fire. Interpreting the goals, the organization seeks to assist the people who have been impacted in dealing with the resulting psychological and emotional traumatization.
This terrible incident has caused quite a stir in the concerned society, and as much as the authorities and the relevant aid organizations seek to come to the aid of the survivors and establish the causes of the fire.
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