Hillside Endarasha Academy Fire: Death Toll Rises, 70 Pupils Still Unaccounted For

• The number of students who have died from burns following the fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy has increased
• Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has announced that at least 70 of the 312 boarding students at the school remain unaccounted for
• This comes after the government requested that parents who have already picked up their children from the school return them for accounting

Nyeri: The death toll from the Hillside Endarasha Academy fire has increased after another student succumbs to burns from the tragedy.

How many Endarasha pupils have died?

The number of students who had died was initially 17, but it has now risen to 18 due to the latest development.

According to a Citizen TV report, the number of injured has also increased to 27, up from the initially reported 14. The injured were taken to various hospitals for treatment.

The report also notes that there may be additional fatalities, as bodies could still be trapped in the dormitory that housed 156 pupils.

While speaking to the press on Friday, September 5, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said the whereabouts of about 70 students are still unknown.

He also announced relief for 86 families who were able to locate their children after the tragic incident.

Govt asks parents to return pupils to Endarasha

To ensure all students are accounted for, Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang asked parents to return the learners for accounting before taking them home.

In his plea to the parents, Interior CS Kithure Kindiki said the learners needed to be returned for logistics and counseling purposes.

The government also urged those who may have taken in students following the fire to also return them to the school.

This announcement came after it emerged that some of the parents and guardians took it upon themselves to pick up their children without checking with the authorities and responders at the tragedy scene.

However, the directive did not please the citizenry, who faulted the government for being supposedly inconsiderate of the parents' concerns.

They argued that the parents were right to take necessary precautions of their own volition, including evacuating their young ones from the scene, in light of what had happened.

What else you need to know about Endarasha fire

• Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua visited Hillside Endarasha Academy and offered a prayer in his native Kikuyu dialect, asking for strength and comfort for the affected families.
• A heartbroken woman painfully opened up about the anxiety surrounding the Hillside Endarasha Academy fire incident due to lack of information.
• President William Ruto declares 3 days of national mourning in honour of fire victims at the Hillside Endarasha school.

Proofreading by Asher Omondi, current affairs journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.