As Kenya police probe blaze that killed 21 schoolboys, another fire breaks out at school for girls

Update As Kenya police probe blaze that killed 21 schoolboys, another fire breaks out at school for girls
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Officers from the office of government pathologist carry bodies of pupils who died after a fatal fire at the Hillside Endarasha Academy, Kieni, Nyeri County, Kenya, on September 7, 2024. (REUTERS)
Update As Kenya police probe blaze that killed 21 schoolboys, another fire breaks out at school for girls
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Officers from the office of government pathologist walk outside the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County, Kenya,on September 7, 2024, after a fatal fire killed and injured several pupils. (REUTERS)
Update As Kenya police probe blaze that killed 21 schoolboys, another fire breaks out at school for girls
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Parents of pupils of the Hillside Endarasha Academy sit as they wait for counselling sessions, after a fatal fire outside the school, in Kieni, Nyeri County, Kenya, September 7, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 08 September 2024
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As Kenya police probe blaze that killed 21 schoolboys, another fire breaks out at school for girls

As Kenya police probe blaze that killed 21 schoolboys, another fire breaks out at school for girls
  • The flames engulfed a dormitory at the primary school where more than 150 boys aged between nine and 13 were sleeping
  • Another fire broke out on Saturday night at Isiolo Girls High School, about 140 kilometers to the northeast.

ENDARASHA, Kenya: Kenyan police stepped up their investigations Saturday into a prime school dormitory blaze that has now cost the lives of 21 boys, as families faced an agonizing wait for news of their missing loved ones.

“It is a catastrophe beyond our imagination,” government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said at a press briefing at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in the central county of Nyeri, where the fire struck around midnight Thursday.

The flames engulfed a dormitory at the primary school where more than 150 boys aged between nine and 13 were sleeping.

Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said a total of 19 bodies had been recovered from the site and another two had died in hospital, up from a previous toll of 17 given by President William Ruto on Friday.

Earlier Saturday, the nation’s top prosecutor said he had instructed police to look into whether the deadly inferno had been caused by negligence or recklessness.

Of the total 156 boys in the dorm at the time, 139 had now been accounted for, either at home or in hospital, he added.

The charred bodies of the victims, which police had said were burnt beyond recognition, were found in the dormitory, now a blackened shell with its corrugated iron roof completely collapsed.




A general view of the body bags of pupils who died after a fatal fire at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County, Kenya, on September 7, 2024. (REUTERS)

Homicide teams and forensic experts stepped up their investigations at the school on Saturday, with DNA tests to be conducted to identify the victims

Chief government pathologist Johansen Oduor said postmortems would begin on Tuesday.

Fire hits school for girls

As the victims' families mourned, another fire broke out on Saturday night at Isiolo Girls High School, about 140 kilometers (90 miles) to the northeast.
Isiolo County communications director Hussein Salesa told AFP that two or three buildings had caught fire. “There are some injuries but we cannot confirm the exact figure at the moment.”
National police spokeswoman Resila Onyango said in a statement the flames had been contained with help from the army, and that there had been “no injuries” among students and staff.
Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga has instructed police to investigate what caused the Endarasha fire and “assess whether or not the tragedy may have resulted from negligence and/or recklessness of any responsibility holders,” his office said in a statement.
“Any person found culpable toward the fire tragedy shall be expediently taken through the due process of a criminal trial.”
The blaze has highlighted the issue of safety at schools in Kenya, after numerous similar disasters over the years.
Kenya’s National Gender and Equality Commission said initial reports indicated the dorm was “overcrowded, in violation of safety standards.
“This incident raises serious concerns about children’s rights to safety in educational institutions,” the NGO Vocal Africa said in a statement on X.

3 days of mourning

President William Ruto has declared three days of national mourning from Monday after what he described as an “unfathomable tragedy.”
He has called for a full investigation into the disaster and vowed that “all relevant persons and bodies will be held to account.”

Pope Francis said he was “deeply saddened” at the loss of young life and expressed his “spiritual closeness to all who are suffering the effects of this calamity, especially the injured and the families who grieve.”
Many families had been waiting anxiously for news of their loved ones, with one mother at the school angrily crying: “We don’t want the food donations. We want our children.”
The Kenya Red Cross was offering psychological counselling sessions to traumatized children and relatives, setting up white tents in fields outside the school gates.
Muchai Kihara, 56, said he was lucky to find his 12-year-old son Stephen Gachingi alive after rushing to the school around 1:00 am on Friday.
“I cannot begin to imagine what he went through,” he told AFP.
“I am happy he is alive but he had some injuries at the back of his head and the smoke had affected his eyes.”
 


Putin says hit Ukraine with new mid-range ballistic missile

Putin says hit Ukraine with new mid-range ballistic missile
Updated 12 sec ago
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Putin says hit Ukraine with new mid-range ballistic missile

Putin says hit Ukraine with new mid-range ballistic missile
Putin said in a televised address that Russia carried out “testing in combat conditions of one of the newest Russian mid-range missile systems”
Russia struck the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro with a barrage of missiles early Thursday

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the country’s forces had hit Ukraine with a new mid-range ballistic missile.
Putin said in a televised address that Russia carried out “testing in combat conditions of one of the newest Russian mid-range missile systems... Our engineers named it Oreshnik,” which means hazel tree in Russian.
Russia struck the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro with a barrage of missiles early Thursday.
The Ukrainian air force and President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of apparently using an intercontinental ballistic missile, while Ukrainian experts were still examining the evidence to ascertain the type of missile used.
Putin said in his address that Russia launched a combined strike on a defense industry target in Ukraine.
He described Oreshnik as a “ballistic missile” that was deployed in this case “in a non-nuclear hypersonic configuration,” saying that the “test” had been successful and had hit its target.
Air defenses cannot intercept the Oreshnik, which attacks at a speed of Mach 10, or 2.5-3 kilometers per second, Putin said.
“Modern air defense systems... cannot intercept such missiles. That’s impossible,” he said.
“As of today there are no means of counteracting such a weapon,” the president boasted.
He said Russia was testing the Oreshnik in combat conditions “in response to the aggressive actions of NATO countries toward Russia.”

UK urged to honor ICC’s arrest warrants against Israeli leaders

UK urged to honor ICC’s arrest warrants against Israeli leaders
Updated 23 min 42 sec ago
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UK urged to honor ICC’s arrest warrants against Israeli leaders

UK urged to honor ICC’s arrest warrants against Israeli leaders
  • Warrants issued on Thursday against Israel’s ministers, officials of Hamas

LONDON: The British government has been urged by the Council for Arab-British Understanding to immediately honor International Criminal Court arrest warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The ICC issued the warrants on Thursday for Netanyahu, Gallant, and an official of Hamas, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the war in Gaza and the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, that triggered Israel’s offensive in the Palestinian territory.

CAABU director Chris Doyle emphasized the gravity of the situation, accusing the UK government of failing to hold Israel accountable for its actions in violation of international law.

Doyle said: “This decision highlights how woefully the UK government has handled the situation of Israeli atrocities and war crimes.

“It now must demonstrate, with concrete action, that this government will honor its pledge to uphold respect for international law and the ICC by abiding in full with the ICC decision.”

Doyle also called for immediate measures, including a full arms embargo on Israel, the cessation of military and security cooperation, and an end to arms sales while atrocities were allegedly being carried out in Gaza.

CAABU warned that failure to comply with the ICC’s warrants could severely damage the UK’s international standing, making it complicit in alleged crimes against humanity, including forced displacement, apartheid, and genocide.

“The UK’s reputation globally would be trashed,” Doyle cautioned.

The organization stressed that the ICC’s warrants represented a crucial step toward justice and accountability for Palestinians. However, Doyle stressed the need for swift action.

He said: “There is no time to wait; justice delayed is justice denied. The UK needs to uphold international law, accountability, and ensure justice with immediate effect by complying with these arrest warrants.”

The UK government has yet to issue a formal response to the ICC’s decision.


UK says it respects ICC independence as court issues arrest warrants

UK says it respects ICC independence as court issues arrest warrants
Updated 21 November 2024
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UK says it respects ICC independence as court issues arrest warrants

UK says it respects ICC independence as court issues arrest warrants
  • PM Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said: “We remain focused on pushing for an immediate ceasefire to bring an end to the devastating violence in Gaza”

LONDON: Britain respects the independence of the International Criminal Court, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said on Thursday, after it issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his ex-defense chief and a Hamas leader.
“We respect the independence of the International Criminal Court, which is the primary international institution for investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes of international concern,” the spokesperson told reporters.
“There is no moral equivalence between Israel, a democracy, and Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, which are terrorist organizations. We remain focused on pushing for an immediate ceasefire to bring an end to the devastating violence in Gaza.”


Russia fires what appears to be intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine, Kyiv says

Russia fires what appears to be intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine, Kyiv says
Updated 21 November 2024
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Russia fires what appears to be intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine, Kyiv says

Russia fires what appears to be intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine, Kyiv says
  • Western officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, later told Reuters their initial analysis showed it was not an intercontinental ballistic missile
  • Regardless of its classification, the latest strike highlighted rapidly rising tensions in the 33-month-old war

KYIV: Ukraine said Russia fired what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile at the city of Dnipro on Thursday, in what would be the first use in war of a weapon designed to deliver long-distance nuclear strikes.
Western officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, later told Reuters their initial analysis showed it was not an intercontinental ballistic missile, though they left open the possibility that conclusion could change.
Regardless of its classification, the latest strike highlighted rapidly rising tensions in the 33-month-old war.
Ukraine fired US and British missiles at targets inside Russia this week despite warnings by Moscow that it would see such action as a major escalation.
Security experts said that if Thursday’s strike involved an intercontinental ballistic missile, it would be the first use of such a missile in war. ICBMs are strategic weapons designed to deliver nuclear warheads and are an important part of Russia’s nuclear deterrent.
“Today there was a new Russian missile. All the characteristics – speed, altitude – are (of an) intercontinental ballistic (missile). An expert (investigation) is currently underway,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video statement.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry urged the international community to react swiftly to the use of what it said was “the use by Russia of a new type of weaponry.”
The Ukrainian air force said the missile was fired from the Russian region of Astrakhan, more than 700 km (435 miles) from Dnipro in central-eastern Ukraine. It did not specify what kind of warhead the missile had or what type of missile it was. There was no suggestion it was nuclear-armed.
Asked about the air force statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters to contact Russian military for comment.
Ukrainska Pravda, a Kyiv-based media outlet, cited anonymous sources saying the missile was an RS-26 Rubezh, a solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 5,800 km, according to the Arms Control Association.
The RS-26 was first successfully tested in 2012, and is estimated to be 12 meters (40 ft) long and weigh 36 tons, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). It said the RS-26 can carry an 800-kg (1,765-pound)nuclear warhead.
The RS-26 is classified as an ICBM under a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia, but it can be seen as an intermediate-range ballistic missile when used with heavier payloads at ranges below 5,500 km, CSIS said.


At least 38 killed as gunmen open fire on vehicles carrying Shiites in northwest Pakistan

At least 38 killed as gunmen open fire on vehicles carrying Shiites in northwest Pakistan
Updated 21 November 2024
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At least 38 killed as gunmen open fire on vehicles carrying Shiites in northwest Pakistan

At least 38 killed as gunmen open fire on vehicles carrying Shiites in northwest Pakistan
  • No one immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack
  • Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said at least 38 people were killed in the “terrorist attack“

PESHAWAR: Gunmen opened fire on vehicles carrying Shiite Muslims in Pakistan’s restive northwest on Thursday, killing at least 38 people, including six women, and wounding 20 others in one of the region’s deadliest such attacks in recent years, police said.
The attack happened in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where sectarian clashes between majority Sunni Muslims and minority Shiites have killed dozens of people in recent months.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack. It came a week after authorities reopened a key highway in the region that had been closed for weeks following deadly clashes.
Local police official Azmat Ali said several vehicles were traveling in a convoy from the city of Parachinar to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, when gunmen opened fire. He said at least 10 passengers were in critical condition at a hospital.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said at least 38 people were killed in the “terrorist attack.” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack, and Sharif said those behind the killing of innocent civilians will not go unpunished.
A witness, 35-year-old Mir Hussain, said he saw four gunmen emerge from a vehicle and open fire on buses and cars.
“I think other people were also firing at the convoy of vehicles from nearby open farm field,” he said. “The firing continued for about 40 minutes.” He said he hid until the attackers fled.
“I heard cries of women, and people were shouting for the help,” he said.
Baqir Haideri, a local Shiite leader, denounced the assault and said the death toll was likely to rise.
Shop owners in Parachinar announced a strike on Friday to protest the attack.
Shiite Muslims make up about 15 percent of the 240 million population of Sunni-majority Pakistan, which has a history of sectarian animosity between the communities.
Although they live together largely peacefully, tensions have existed for decades in some areas, especially in parts of Kurram, where Shiites are the majority. Nearly 50 people from both sides were killed over a land dispute in July when clashes between Sunni and Shiites erupted in Kurram.
Pakistan is tackling violence in the northwest and southwest, where militants and separatists often target police, troops and civilians. Most of the violence in these areas has been blamed on the Pakistani Taliban and the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army.