17 Boys Killed, 70 Missing After Fire Breaks Out In Kenya School Dorm

The blaze at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri county began around midnight, engulfing rooms where more than 150 boys were sleeping.

At least 17 young boys were killed and 70 missing after a fire ripped through a primary school dormitory in central Kenya, officials said Friday, leaving distraught relatives desperate for news of their loved ones.

The blaze at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri county began around midnight, engulfing rooms where more than 150 boys were sleeping.

"We still have 70 kids that are unaccounted -- that does not mean they are perished or they are injured... the word is that they are unaccounted for," Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua told reporters at the scene, adding that 27 children were in hospital.