Photo: Collected
Seventeen boys were confirmed dead and 70 missing after a fire tore through a primary school dormitory in central Kenya, officials said Friday, leaving distraught relatives desperate for news of their loved ones.
The blaze at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri county broke out around midnight, engulfing rooms where more than 150 boys were sleeping.
President William Ruto declared three days of national mourning starting from Monday after what he described as an "unfathomable tragedy".
He said 17 children aged between nine and 13 had lost their lives, vowing to find out how the disaster had happened and hold those responsible accountable.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua told reporters at the scene of the disaster that 70 youngsters were still unaccounted for, while 27 were in hospital.
He described the scene as "gory" and said painstaking investigative work using DNA would be required to help identify the victims, also urging relatives and members of the community to help in tracing the missing.
"The bodies recovered at the scene were burnt beyond recognition," national police spokesperson Resila Onyango told AFP.
Tensions were running high among families gathered at the school as they anxiously awaited news.
Many broke down into anguished wailing and tears after officials took them to see the charred bodies in the destroyed dorm.
"Please look for my kid. He can't be dead. I want my child," one woman cried in distress as she left the school.
মেসেঞ্জার/দিশা
