19 kids die in Uganda school blaze

Kampala, Uganda: An overnight fire destroyed a primary school dormitory in Uganda, killing 19 school children and two adults, police said on Tuesday. Sobbing parents sifted through the ashes of the girls dormitory at the Buddo primary school on Tuesday morning, trying in vain to identify their daughters from charred piles of bones. By the time the fire brigade reached the school, most of the dormitory had already burned down and part of the roof and inner walls had collapsed. The fire burned away almost all the mattresses and children’s clothing and the intense heat warped the metal bed frames. Teacher Frederick Bugmbe said there were 58 girls in the dormitory, but some managed to wriggle through narrow windows. Hundreds of parents arrived at the school, which has around 1,000 students, to search for their children. Police said it appeared 19 students and two adults died in the blaze, but they were still searching the site for remains. Lydia Namusisi, 14, who sleeps in a nearby dormitory, said she was woken in the night by a loud bang. When the girls tumbled out of bed, they found the dormitory next door already blazing. School worker James Kiiza said the doors had been locked from the outside. He said there was no electricity at the time of the fire, but that the school does not permit the use of candles.