At least seven students have been confirmed dead following a classroom collapse in Nairobi, Kenya.
Several other students at the Precious Talent Top School were rushed to hospitals across the capital with varying degrees of injuries.
Some 17 pupils have been admitted at the Kenyatta National Hospital.
Police commander George Seda confirmed the death toll after the school, made of wood and corrugated iron sheet, collapsed on Monday morning.
Kenyan newspaper the Daily Nation reports that the school managers could not estimate the number of pupils who were in class when the building came tumbling down at 6.50am.
The classes that collapsed were housing the junior primary pupils but the most affected are those in Standard Six, Seven and Eight on the ground floor, who were trapped in rubble.
The Kenya Red Cross had earlier in the morning confirmed the incident.
Classroom with pupils inside collapses at a school along Ngong road, Nairobi.
Red Cross and @EMS_Kenya response teams are at the scene. Details to follow.
— Kenya Red Cross (@KenyaRedCross) September 23, 2019
government spokesman Cyrus Oguna confirmed that 57 students had been injured following the classroom collapse.
“There have been 57 students that have been taken to hospital for treatment, and we can also confirm that there have been seven fatalities,” Oguna said from the scene.
“Wanafunzi 7 wamepoteza maisha yao. 57 wamejeruhiwa na kupelekwa hospitali ya Kenyatta. Serikali itagharamia matibabu ya wale wamepelekwa hospitalini. Waziri wa Elimu Prof. Magoha atatoa habari kamilifu baadae”
Msemaji wa serikali Cyrus Oguna #SemaNaCitizen pic.twitter.com/suWB0smoXe
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) September 23, 2019
