At least seven children killed as classroom collapses in Kenya

At least seven children were killed and more than 60 injured when a wooden classroom collapsed in Kenya today. The structure fell down at The Precious Talent Top School in Nairobi just minutes after the start of lessons. Two children out of 64 who were admitted to hospital remain in a critical condition, while the rest have minor injuries, according to officials. One survivor, 10-year-old Tracy Oduor, said: ‘We were in class reading and we heard pupils and teachers screaming, and the class started collapsing and then a stone hit me on the mouth. ‘When we got out of the gate we heard that pupils were dead. ‘I feel so sad.’ It is unclear at this stage why the two-storey building, made of wood and corrugated metal, came crashing down.

Moses Ndirangu, director of the school which has more than 800 children enrolled, blamed the collapse on the construction of a nearby sewer, which he said may have weakened the foundations. But some residents claim the collapse was due to poor construction. Peter Ouko, a resident, claimed: ‘You can easily break it with your own hands, as easy as that. ‘This is chicken wire, not a construction material.’ Images on social media showed hundreds of residents gathered at the site as rescuers searched through the rubble. Margaret Muthoni, whose four-year-old son was injured, said: ‘I had just dropped my son to school and heard screams on my way back. ‘I am just lucky my son survived.’