At least 10 students are feared dead after a fire broke out in a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, during the early hours of Thursday morning.
The tragic incident triggered panic among parents, teachers, and residents who gathered outside the school as emergency response teams worked to contain the blaze and account for all students.
Preliminary reports indicate that the fire started at around 1am, although the Kenya Red Cross said the incident was officially reported at approximately 3:30am.
“Following a fire incident reported at around 3:30am at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru County, Kenya Red Cross responded to support the ongoing emergency response,” the organisation said in a statement.
Emergency personnel, including firefighters and rescue teams, were deployed to the school as efforts to establish the cause of the fire and the exact number of casualties continued.
The Kenya Red Cross also confirmed that its psychosocial support teams had been dispatched to the institution to provide counselling and emotional support to traumatised students, parents, and teachers amid growing uncertainty over the scale of the tragedy.
Witnesses described scenes of confusion and distress outside the school, with anxious parents desperately seeking information about the safety of their children.
Authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the number of fatalities and injuries, while investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.