70 Hillside Endarasha Pupils Remain Unaccounted For.
The neighborhood around Hillside Endarasha Academy is in a somber tone as search and identification operations for deceased students continue.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua disclosed that 70 pupils remain missing after a catastrophic fire; thus, the government and relief organizations are currently looking for them.
Families and officials are searching for answers following the fire that destroyed the school’s dormitories in Nyeri, Central Kenya.
“We still cannot account for 70 pupils,” said Gachagua, making it clear that the number did not refer to casualties but rather to kids who might have been picked up by their parents or who were still lost in the confusion.
Hillside
He asked locals and parents to report any students taken from the location during the fire incident. “I am appealing to each and every parent who took their child to report to us so that we know where those children are,” he added.
18 students have already died as a result of injuries, according to Deputy President Gachagua’s confirmation.
The academy, a boarding school for young boys and girls, housed 311 boarding students at the time of the incident. When the fire started, 156 boys were inside the dormitory.
Gachagua asserts that the government can only account for 86 students, 27 of whom are currently receiving medical attention in hospitals for injuries, and the remaining 37 have been relocated by their parents.
70 Students Missing
Families are desperate for information because the remaining 70 students are unknown.
As the country reels from this catastrophe, a government spokesman, Isaac Mwaura, revealed the start of a multi-agency probe. “We are working with the Ministry of Education, Interior, and security agencies to determine the cause of this fire,” Mwaura remarked. He assured the public that the administration will tirelessly investigate the disaster.
One of the first people on the site was local resident Phillip Gathogo, who described the terrifying occurrences. He looked shaken as he stated, “We saw several children in there that had been burned.”
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Upon arriving at the location, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki promised to hold those found guilty accountable. “The government assures full accountability for all whose action or inaction contributed to this tremendous loss,” he stressed.
In addition, Kindiki asked any locals who might have taken in kids to bring them back to school so they could get counseling and medical attention. “Many children managed to jump out and get to safety, but we do not know how many were successful,” he said.
Kenya has a tragic past filled with school fires. In 2017, an arson-related dormitory fire at a Nairobi school claimed the lives of nine students. The most horrific event happened in 2001 when a dormitory fire at Kyanguli Secondary School claimed the lives of 58 students.
