NAIROBI: At least 16 students were killed in a fire at a boarding school in Gilgil, around 120 kilometers west of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

According to police and the Kenya Red Cross, the fire broke out at Utumishi Girls School in the early hours of Thursday while students were asleep.

Authorities said search and rescue operations were ongoing, with investigators yet to determine the cause of the fire. Emergency responders from the Kenya Red Cross were deployed to support rescue efforts.

“It is a sad and saddening situation,” police commander Masoud Mwinyi told parents and crowds gathered outside the school.

Deadly fires have frequently occurred in Kenyan boarding schools in recent years, often linked to poor compliance with safety guidelines.