tragedy – As a fire subsequently broke out in another establishment, voices were raised to criticize safety standards in schools
It is a terrible tragedy that is saddening Kenya. A fire in the dormitory of a primary school has left 21 dead according to a government report announced on Saturday.
The fire at Hillside Academy in Endarasha, Nyeri County, broke out around midnight on Thursday in a dormitory where more than 150 boys were sleeping. The school, which has about 800 students aged 9 to 13, is about 170 km north of the capital Nairobi. On Saturday, another fire broke out at a girls’ high school in Isiolo, also in central Kenya. Police said late in the day that the fire had been brought under control and there were no injuries.
A “catastrophe beyond imagination”
A judicial inquiry is underway to determine whether there was negligence in the Endarasha tragedy, as civil society groups have raised concerns about safety standards in Kenyan schools. “It is terribly distressing for the nation to lose so many promising young Kenyans. Our hearts are heavy,” government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said, adding: “This is a catastrophe beyond imagination.”
On Saturday, the charred bodies of the victims were still(…) - 20minutes
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