The death toll from the dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls’ Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, has risen to 16 after six more deaths were reported, police said.
Police said 74 other students were admitted to hospital with injuries following the incident on Thursday morning.
Rift Valley Regional Police Commander Samuel Ndanyi said search and rescue efforts are still on.
Concerned parents and guardians flocked to the school following the incident, amid fears the death toll could rise.
The school said only parents will be allowed into the compound as authorities continue to account for learners. There was confusion and chaos as the parents streamed into the compound and eager to find their loved ones.
Others rushed to the nearby hospitals to establish the state of their children.
A devastating fire broke out early Thursday morning at the school leaving the students dead.
According to police reports, the incident occurred at around 4:30 a.m. in a dormitory known as the Meline Waithera Block, which housed approximately 220 students drawn from Grade 10, Form Three and Form Four classes.
This prompted a rapid response from various parties.
By the time emergency teams arrived, the dormitory was already engulfed in flames.
A multi-agency response involving fire brigades from Naivasha, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), Administration Police Service Training Unit (ASTU), Kenya Forest Service (KFS), and the National Youth Service (NYS) managed to contain the inferno after a prolonged firefighting operation.
Police said the number of fatalities is currently estimated at about 16, although the figure could change as rescue and identification efforts continue.
About 74 of injured students were rushed to various medical facilities, including Gilgil Sub-County Hospital and St Mark’s Hospital, where they were admitted with varying degrees of burns and other injuries. Authorities said those admitted were in stable condition.
The fire also caused extensive destruction to property of unknown value.
Crime Scene Investigations (CSI) officers from Nakuru processed and documented the scene as investigations into the cause of the fire commenced. Authorities have not yet established what triggered the blaze.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves across the country, reviving concerns over fire safety standards in schools and emergency preparedness in boarding institutions.
The tragedy comes amid a worrying rise in school fire incidents across Kenya in recent weeks.
Police say several schools have experienced unrest, strikes, and destruction of property, leading some institutions to close temporarily.
Officials say investigations are ongoing to determine the causes behind the wave of incidents.
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