At Least 16 Students Die in Kenyan School Dormitory Fire

NAIROBI. At least 16 students have died in a fire at a school dormitory in the Gilgil area, about 120 kilometers west of Kenya's capital, Nairobi, local police said. 74 students were injured in the incident.

They are undergoing treatment at the hospital, officials said. This fire occurred early Thursday morning at Utumishi Girls' School in Gilgil. It is said that most of the students were asleep at the time of the incident.

According to information provided by the Kenya Red Cross and the police, the fire spread to the dormitory building where 220 students lived around 1 AM local time. The cause of the fire has not yet been clarified and the investigation is ongoing, police said. Emergency rescue teams have been deployed to the scene.

Police have cordoned off the school area and only parents are currently allowed inside. The Kenya Red Cross has stated that relief teams have been mobilized to assist the affected students. Eyewitnesses said that some students tried to save their lives by jumping from the windows at the time of the fire, and they were injured in the process.