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Uganda: 11, including children, die in fire at school for blind

Uganda: 11, including children, die in fire at school for blind

Uganda

Eleven people lost their lives in school for the blind in Uganda in early hours of Tuesday (October 25). Those dead include mostly children. The fire tore through a dormitory in which pupils were sleeping.

"The cause of the fire is currently unknown but so far 11 deaths as a result of the fire have been confirmed while six are in critical conditions and admitted (to hospital)," the Uganda Police Force said on Twitter.

The tragedy occurred at 1 am (2200 GMT Monday) at the Salama School for the Blind in the Mukono district, east of the capital Kampala. The police havelaunched an investigation.

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"Most of the dead are children at the school and our sympathies go to the parents," Internal Affairs Minister General Kahinda Otafiire told AFP.
He said the school has been cordoned off as a "crime scene" and vowed that there would be a full investigation.

"As government we shall go to the root cause of the fire and if there are any culprits they will be apprehended and the law will take its course," he added.

Images broadcast on Ugandan television showed a charred but still largely intact building where the fire broke out, its window frames and door blackened and the corrugated roof damaged.

Forensic teams were seen in white protective gear at the school, while grieving parents gathered nearby.

(With inputs from agencies)

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