About 16 Kenyan girls have died in a fast spreading fire that razed down a dormitory leaving 79 severely injured.
Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, in Kenya’s Nakuru County said that 7 students are hospitalised in critical condition.
Emergency teams have been deployed after the blaze broke out at the school.
Local eyewitness accounts indicate that the fire broke out at around 1 am and was reported at approximately 3.30 am on Thursday, according to the Kenya Red Cross.
“Following a fire incident reported at around 3:30am at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru County, Kenya Red Cross responded to support the ongoing emergency response,” Kenya Red Cross said in a statement.
Meanwhile, parents have streamed to the school gates in large numbers as news of the tragedy spread across Gilgil and neighbouring areas, with police restricting access and allowing only parents into the compound as rescue and investigative operations continued.
“No words can truly ease the pain of losing young lives filled with promise, hope, and dreams for the future,” President William Ruto said.
“Our hearts and prayers are with the families who have lost their beloved daughters in the tragic fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil,” President Ruto said.
