Hearth rages via faculty dormitory17 younger boys killedPresident Ruto requires investigationKenya has historical past of college fires, maximum related to arsonNAIROBI, Sept 6 (Reuters) – A hearth raged during the dormitory of a boarding faculty for small children in central Kenya within the early hours of Friday, killing 17 boys slumbering there, police stated.Citizen Tv stated the hearth had burnt the sufferers past popularity. Its photos from the scene confirmed collapsed iron-sheet roofing and charred steel garage containers on most sensible of double-decker beds within the dormitory.The blaze passed off on the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri, a number one boarding faculty for younger scholars.”We now have misplaced 17 pupils within the fireplace incident whilst 14 are injured,” police spokesperson Resila Onyango stated. “Our workforce is on the scene at the present time.”Executive spokesperson Isaac Mwaura stated the men have been in grades 4 to eight, placing their ages at about 9 to 13-years-old. He stated in a commentary the dormitory housed 156 scholars.The reason for the hearth used to be no longer right away transparent.President William Ruto stated he had informed government to analyze what he referred to as the “horrific incident” and stated the ones accountable could be held to account.Government have cordoned off the college, the Kenya Crimson Go stated on X. Calls by means of Reuters to the college’s major telephone line went unanswered.Kenya has a historical past of college fires, lots of that have grew to become out to be arson.9 scholars have been killed in Sept 2017 in a hearth at a college within the capital Nairobi that the federal government attributed to arson.In 2001, 58 schoolboys have been killed in a dormitory fireplace at Kyanguli Secondary College outdoor Nairobi. In 2012, 8 scholars have been killed at a college in Homa Bay County in western Kenya. Enroll right here.Reporting by means of George Obulutsa, Humphrey Malalo and Sonia Rao; Modifying by means of Clarence Fernandez, Christina Fincher and Angus MacSwanOur Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Believe Rules., opens new tabPurchase Licensing Rights