Government pathologist Johansen Oduor has issued the latest statement on the Victims of the Hillside Endarasha Academy school fire tragedy.
According to the Pathologist, the exercise of retrieving the bodies from Hillside Endarasha fire scene was complete and the process of conducting postmortems would begin on Tuesday, September 10.
“Today we have concluded the process of recovery of the bodies of those who were involved in this fire incident, we have managed to recover 19 bodies which we have placed in body bags.”
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While speaking to journalists after the school was cordoned off by authorities, Oduor noted that bodies of the deceased were extensively burnt making it difficult to recognise the identities of the pupils killed in the inferno.
“They are to be taken to Naromoru Hospital so that we can begin the postmortem process. Looking at the bodies, they were severely burnt, which means that it is very difficult to identify that this is the exact person.”
However, Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura disclosed further that the death toll from the tragedy had risen to 21 after two more pupils succumbed to injuries while receiving treatment.
Mwaura revealed that out of the 156 pupils who were residing in the dormitory that was razed by the fire, 139 pupils had already been accounted for while the rest are still missing with speculations that they were picked from the school without informing teachers.
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Following the announcement, Mwaura directed locals residing near the school who may have rescued and sheltered pupils to bring them back to the designated search area.
“All relevant agencies are working round the clock to locate them and ensure their safety and will provide updates as more information becomes available.”