A school fire in Kenya has left at least 17 students dead and several others injured, police said

At least 17 students have died after a boarding school building in central Kenya caught fire on Thursday night, police said.

There are fears that the number of dead may increase as more than ten others were rushed to the hospital with severe burns.

The cause of the fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy, a primary school, in Nyeri district was not yet known.

President William Ruto called the fire “horrible” and “sad” and has ordered an investigation.

“Those involved will face the law,” Mr Ruto wrote on social media.

A team of investigators has been deployed to the school, said the police.

Police spokesperson Resila Onyango told AFP news agency that the bodies found were “burnt in an unknown manner”.

“More bodies are likely to be found once (the area) is fully explored,” he added.

The Kenyan Red Cross said yes provide trauma counseling resources for students, teachers and affected families, and had set up a tracing desk at the school.

Hillside Endarasha Academy is a private primary school, with over 800 students mostly aged between five and 12 years old, located near the city of Nyeri – 150km (93 miles) north of the capital, Nairobi.

School fires are very common in residential schools in Kenya.

In 2017, 10 students died in an arson incident at Moi Girls High School in the capital, Nairobi.

At least 67 students died in Machakos County, south-east of Nairobi, in an incident of destruction of a school that happened in Kenya more than 20 years ago.