NAIROBI, Sept 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) —At least seven children have died after a classroom collapsed at a primary school in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, officials say.
The wooden structure at Precious Talent Top School collapsed just minutes after the start of the school day on Monday.
Dozens of people were injured and have been taken to hospital in the city.
“We have regrettably lost seven lives to this morning’s incident,” Education Secretary George Magoha told reporters outside the school in Dagoretti. He added that 64 people had been injured.
The school’s director, Moses Ndirangu, blamed the collapse on the construction of a nearby sewer, which he said may have weakened the foundations of the building.
The collapse happened shortly before 07:00 local time (04:00 GMT) and dozens of children were rushed away from the scene.
The Kenyan Red Cross transferred some children to the Kenyatta National Hospital. Two of the injured were reported to be in a critical condition.
The first floor of the building collapsed and trapped the children below, local politician John Kiarie told the NTV Kenya television channel.
The government said it had opened an investigation into the cause of the accident.
The private school is located near Nairobi’s well-known Ngong Racecourse and more than 800 pupils are thought to attend. — NNN-AGENCIES
