PHOTOS: Tears, pain at Utumishi Girls as parents face aftermath of fatal fire

The death toll from the Utumishi Girls Academy midnight inferno has risen to 16, leaving the institution plunged into mourning as the focus shifts to identifying the young victims.

The tragedy unfolded in the early hours of Thursday when fire tore through the Meline Waithera Block, a dormitory housing about 220 students from Grade 10, Form Three, and Form Four.

Drawn by the smoke and rising panic, anxious parents and neighbours rushed to the campus as early as 4 am, desperate for news of their children, but they were met with closed gates as security forces restricted access.

Inside the compound, high-ranking government officials joined emergency teams to assess the devastation.

"Unfortunately, we lost some of our learners in the fire," Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said, noting that 807 of the school's 815 students were on campus when the blaze broke out.

The Cabinet Secretary explained that emergency responders from the military, county fire brigade, and the Kenya Red Cross managed to contain the flames at around 3am, but acknowledged that the damage had already been done.

"79 were injured and taken to hospital. 71 were treated and discharged. We have seven currently admitted and one has been picked by the parents from the hospital. Out of that number, we have 16 fatalities, whose identities will be established," Ogamba said.

The bodies of the victims have since been moved to Gilgil Sub-County Hospital and St. Mark’s Hospital, while the remaining injured students continue to receive treatment at St Joseph Hospital.

Outside, a heavy contingent of police officers remained stationed at the school to maintain order and keep a distraught crowd at bay.

Rift Valley Regional Police Commander Samuel Ndanyi confirmed that authorities have barred both the media and the public from accessing the immediate scene while investigators begin looking for answers.

"The identification of the cause of the fire was yet to be identified," Ogamba added, as security teams at the site maintained that the exact trigger for the deadly blaze remains unknown.

Photos: Joseph Kipsang, Standard