Kenya school fire kills at least 17 students and injures many others

At least 17 students were killed after a school in central Kenya caught fire on Thursday night, police said.

There are fears the death toll could rise as more than a dozen others have been taken to hospital with serious burns.

The cause of the fire at Hillside Endarasha Primary School in Nyeri County is yet to be determined.

President William Ruto called the fire “horrific” and “catastrophic”, and has ordered an investigation.

“Those responsible will be held accountable,” Mr Ruto wrote on social media.

Police said a team of investigators has been deployed to the school.

Police spokesman Resila Onyango told AFP news agency that the bodies were found “burned beyond recognition”.

“More bodies may be found once the scene is cleared,” she added.

The Kenya Red Cross said that provide psychosocial support services for affected students, teachers and families, and has set up a monitoring desk at the school.

School fires are quite common in boarding schools in Kenya.

In 2017, 10 students were killed in a fire at Moi Girls High School in the capital Nairobi.

At least 67 students were killed in Machakos County, southeast of Nairobi, in Kenya’s deadliest school fire in more than 20 years.