Kenya school fire tragedy: 21 children burned alive in horror blaze at girls' academy

The death toll from a devastating dormitory fire at Hillside Endarasha Primary School in central Kenya has tragically climbed to 21, according to the latest update from the government spokesperson on Saturday.

As officials began the grim task of removing the young victims' bodies in the Kenya fire, efforts continued to locate dozens of boys still unaccounted for following the blaze .

Media personnel near the fire were asked to remain outside the school's premises while forensic teams, including a government pathologist and morticians from Nyeri provincial hospital, prepared for their work near the charred remains of the dormitory.

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The inferno, which occurred on Thursday night, engulfed a dormitory housing 156 boys aged between 10 and 14. While over 100 boys have been accounted for, the government is calling on parents and local residents to assist in tracking down every student from the privately-owned institution.

Isaac Mwaura, the government spokesperson, has appealed for the public's patience as authorities meticulously sift through the debris to determine the exact number of fatalities and the cause of the disaster.

Mwaura acknowledged the harrowing reality that some children were burned beyond recognition, indicating that the identification process, involving DNA analysis, would require additional time.

"These figures are still preliminary because the process is ongoing. ...it's a DNA process that will take a number of days," he explained.

In response to the tragedy, Kenya's President William Ruto announced three days of national mourning starting Friday. Meanwhile, police investigations into the origins of the deadly fire are ongoing.

Parents, fraught with worry, were finally allowed to see the remnants of the dormitory on Friday evening. The sight was too much for some, who broke down as they left the scene.

The government has called on school administrators to adhere to boarding guidelines that mandate spacious dormitories with three doors and no window grills, to facilitate easy escape in case of fires.

School fires are a frequent occurrence in Kenyan boarding schools, often ignited by arson linked to drug abuse and overcrowding, as per a recent report from the education ministry. Many parents opt for boarding schools as they believe it provides their children with more study time, eliminating long commutes.

Some fires have been instigated by students protesting against heavy workloads or poor living conditions. In 2017, a fire started by a student in a Nairobi high school resulted in the death of 10 students.

The most fatal school fire in Kenya's recent history occurred in 2001, when a dormitory fire in Machakos county claimed the lives of 67 students.