Uganda school fire kills at least 10 children

The blaze started late on Friday at a primary boarding school in Kabarole, 320 kilometres west of Kampala.

A fire destroyed a boarding school dormitory in western Uganda, killing at least 10 sleeping students, police officials said on Saturday.

HT Image

But one police official said at least 12 students had died.

The blaze started late on Friday at a primary boarding school in Kabarole, 320 kilometres west of Kampala.

It has been extinguished, but police and firefighters searched for more survivors and bodies, police spokesman Patrick Onyango said.

There were 70 students in the dormitory, which is part of the larger school building, Kararole regional police commander Paddy Musana said.

Most of the students were evacuated, but some were left inside the building and not all have been accounted for, he said.

An unattended candle may have sparked the fire, Onyango said.

"The school had no power last night so the students were reading by candlelight. It seems one of the candles wasn't put out and set fire to a bedsheet," he said.

Onyango said 12 died and the victims ranged in age from 7 to 13, adding that one child was hospitalised with injuries.

Musana, however, said that 10 students died in the fire and no student had been hospitalised.

It was not immediately clear why the two police officials had conflicting information.