Fire rips through a dormitory at a girls' school in Kenya, killing at least 16 students

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GILGIL, Kenya (AP) — Flames ripped done a dormitory astatine a girls’ boarding schoolhouse successful cardinal Kenya connected Thursday, sidesplitting astatine slightest 16 students and injuring scores of others successful the latest deadly schoolhouse occurrence successful the East African country. Police questioned surviving students astir however it started.

The occurrence happened astatine the Utumishi Girls School, which has much than 800 students, successful the Gilgil country of cardinal Kenya, Education Minister Julius Ogamba said, adding that 79 students were injured successful the disaster.

Detectives were questioning students to find whether immoderate wrongdoing triggered the fire, and Ogamba said authorities were trying to find retired whether the school's occurrence information manual had been adhered to.

The victims were not yet been identified, a root of choler and vexation for parents who gathered extracurricular the ruined dormitory. Some of them angrily confronted constabulary guarding the site, demanding to spot the remains of still-uncollected victims.

Bernard Omwandho, a typical of the parents’ association, urged calm arsenic the constabulary probe continued.

“Most of the parents who are inactive present are those whose daughters are being questioned,” helium said, adding that helium hoped that those being questioned volition beryllium “able to astatine slightest shed immoderate airy oregon springiness america a hint connected what truly transpired.”

The schoolhouse is located astir 120 kilometers (75 miles) northwest of the capital, Nairobi. The government-owned secondary schoolhouse is managed and sponsored by the Kenya Police Service. Many of the students are the daughters of constabulary officers.

Elizabeth Rioba, a parent of 2 girls astatine the school, said she was relieved to spot her daughters but expressed interest due to the fact that 1 of the girls saw her person get stuck portion trying to leap retired of a window.

“She’s precise traumatized, but I’m relieved she’s OK and I’m bittersweet for each these children who person died,” she told The Associated Press.

The Kenya Red Cross said respective students were evacuated and are receiving attraction successful assorted hospitals. The radical said it sent intelligence enactment teams for students and their families.

Kenyan President William Ruto expressed his condolences successful a statement. “No words tin genuinely easiness the symptom of losing young lives filled with promise, hope, and dreams for the future,” Ruto said. “As a nation, we mourn with the parents, guardians, teachers, and chap students who are enduring this unimaginable tragedy.”

Fires astatine schools person been a origin of interest for acquisition officials successful East Africa, wherever classrooms and dormitories are often crowded, and there’s usually nary firefighting instrumentality successful place. Officials sometimes mention mediocre electrical connections arsenic sparking blazes.

In 2024, 21 students burned to decease successful a schoolhouse occurrence successful cardinal Kenya. Ruto declared 3 days of mourning.

Kenya’s deadliest schoolhouse occurrence successful caller past occurred successful 2001 erstwhile 67 students died successful a dormitory occurrence successful Machakos County.

In 2017, 10 students died successful a schoolhouse occurrence successful Nairobi. A pupil was charged with murder.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.