The death toll in a fire outbreak at a school in Nyeri in central Kenya has risen to at least 21 after more bodies were found over the weekend.
Nineteen of them were recovered at the scene at Hillside Endarasha Primary School, while two children died of their injuries in hospital.
“We were able to get 19 bodies. These bodies are burnt greatly, to a great extent, to such an extent that it would be very impossible for their parents to be able to identify them,” said government pathologist, Johansen Oduor.
It was reported that DNA testing will begin on Monday to identify the children, but officials warn this will take days.
Recall that the fire on Thursday night razed a dormitory that was housing 156 boys aged between 10 and 14.
More than 100 of them have been accounted for while at least 17 children remain missing.
The government has urged those who rescued students in Thursday night’s blaze to bring them back to the school to help with tracing.
The site has been sealed off for analysis but the cause of the fire still remains unknown.
President William Ruto has declared a three-day national mourning period to start on Monday.
The updated death toll comes as the Red Cross reported another fire at a school, this time a girls’ boarding school in Isiolo town in central Kenya.
Local media is reporting that at least three students were injured in the blaze which destroyed dormitories before being contained.
There have been numerous fires at Kenyan boarding schools in recent years, prompting concerns about safety standards.
The government has urged school administrators to enforce boarding guidelines that require dormitories to be spacious, with three doors and no grills on the windows for easy escape in case of fires.
Many students board because parents believe it gives them more time to study without long commutes.
