New details have emerged about Endarasha Blunder after police visited the scene of the Endarasha Academy school after several students were burnt to death with seventeen already confirmed dead.
According to officers who visited the Endarasha scene, the blunder was that the school dormitory was constructed with wood contrary to the regulations about dormitory construction. The dorm that housed 152 pupils had timber as walls.
Timber, as in wood is described as highly flammable in instances like the one at the Endarasha Academy because timber catches fire quickly, potentially leading to an inferno that can be difficult to contain.
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Further details that have been confirmed by NewsProjector claim that first respondent firefighters to the incident lacked water hampering rescue operations. This forced them to look for water 16 kilometers away, delaying the response.
Reports on the construction of the dormitory reveal that the dormitory windows were built in a way that the doors and windows are opening in an inward way thus hindering pupils incase they were trying to escape.
This comes after a report by the Auditor General Nancy Gathungu who claimed that most schools have windows with metal grills and have no doors at both ends thus most schools are unprepared.
“Physical verification revealed that some schools had windows with metal grills contrary to regulations. This is likely to hinder evacuation in the event of fire, leading to injuries and loss of lives.”
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However, the Ministry of Interior has assured those affected by the unfortunate tragedy that they are working with other relevant stakeholders to coordinate support for parents and the school community to offer aid and counseling services.