Kenya starts DNA testing to identify victims of school blaze

NEWS WIRES

9 September 2024 at 2:16 am·1-min read

Kenya prepared to conduct DNA testing on Monday to identify the 21 young victims of a school dormitory fire last week. Thursday's blaze has highlighted the issue of safety at schools in Kenya, after numerous similar incidents over the years, many of them deadly. The East African nation has also declared three days of mourning.

DNA testing was due to begin in Kenya on Monday to help identify the boys who lost their lives in a deadly school dormitory blaze last week.

The nation has also declared three days of mourning for the 21 young victims of the grim tragedy that has raised fresh concerns about safety standards at Kenyan schools.

The children perished after flames engulfed their dormitory at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri county in central Kenya as they were sleeping late on Thursday night.

Nineteen bodies were found in the charred ruins of the building, while another two died in hospital, but 17 were still unaccounted for, government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said on Saturday.

Chief government pathologist Johansen Oduor has said postmortems would begin on Tuesday.

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