NAIROBI SCHOOL COLLAPSE – SEVEN DEAD AND DOZENS INJURED

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.

Rescuers
reportedly had difficulty getting to the school because of the large crowds
that gathered nearby.

“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.

Angry
locals complained about the slow emergency response. The government said it had
opened an investigation into the cause of the accident.

Images on
social media showed hundreds of residents gathered around the site as rescuers
search through the rubble. Books, desks and chairs could be seen amongst the
debris.

“I
had just dropped my son to school and heard screams on my way back,”
Margaret Muthoni, whose four-year-old son was injured, told the AFP news
agency. “I am just lucky my son survived,” she said..

The private school is located near Nairobi’s well-known Ngong Racecourse and more than 800 pupils are thought to attend.http:// https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49794067