The cause of the dormitory school fire was still being investigated. Authorities warned that the death toll could rise.
A fire erupted in a school dormitory in central Kenya, killing 17 students and injuring some 14 others, police said Friday.
Rescue teams were en route to the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri, spokeswoman Resila Onyango said.
“We have lost 17 pupils in the fire incident while 14 are injured,” Onyango told the Reuters news agency by telephone. “Our team is at the scene at the moment.”
There were fears the death toll could rise.
“The bodies recovered at the scene were burnt beyond recognition,” Onyango said. “More bodies are likely to be recovered once [the] scene is fully processed.”
School fires are common in Kenya’s boarding schools. In 2017, a school fire in the capital, Nairobi, killed at least nine high school students.
