a school in central Kenya caught fire on Thursday night, police say
There are fears the death toll could rise as more than a dozen others have been taken to hospital with severe burns
The cause of the fire at Hillside Endarasha Primary in Nyeri county is not yet known
President William Ruto calls the fire “horrific” and “devastating”, and has ordered an investigation
Live Reporting
Edited by Sophie Abdulla and Barbara Tasch, with Wycliffe Muia reporting from Nairobi
Over 150 pupils were in the dormitory – police
published at 09:01 British Summer Time
09:01 BST
Investigators in the school
,Ephantus Maina
More than 150 pupils were in the dormitory that caught fire at around 3pm local time, local police boss Pius Murugu said.
The fire spread very fast as most of the buildings in the school are built with timber, according to a journalist from Citizen TV.
The school has a total of 824 pupils, mostly aged between five and 12.
Homicide investigators are already at the school.Hillside Endarasha Academy is a private primary boarding school.
We do not know the ages yet of those who died, but in Kenya primary schools cater to pupils from six to 14-years-old.
The school is in the Central Highlands of Kenya, 150km (93 miles) north of Nairobi.
According to news agency AFP, the school caters to around 800 children.
