As Kenya police probe blaze that killed 21 schoolboys, another fire breaks out at school for girls

Update As Kenya police probe blaze that killed 21 schoolboys, another fire breaks out at school for girls
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Officers from the office of government pathologist carry bodies of pupils who died after a fatal fire at the Hillside Endarasha Academy, Kieni, Nyeri County, Kenya, on September 7, 2024. (REUTERS)
Update As Kenya police probe blaze that killed 21 schoolboys, another fire breaks out at school for girls
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Officers from the office of government pathologist walk outside the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County, Kenya,on September 7, 2024, after a fatal fire killed and injured several pupils. (REUTERS)
Update As Kenya police probe blaze that killed 21 schoolboys, another fire breaks out at school for girls
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Parents of pupils of the Hillside Endarasha Academy sit as they wait for counselling sessions, after a fatal fire outside the school, in Kieni, Nyeri County, Kenya, September 7, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 08 September 2024
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As Kenya police probe blaze that killed 21 schoolboys, another fire breaks out at school for girls

As Kenya police probe blaze that killed 21 schoolboys, another fire breaks out at school for girls
  • The flames engulfed a dormitory at the primary school where more than 150 boys aged between nine and 13 were sleeping
  • Another fire broke out on Saturday night at Isiolo Girls High School, about 140 kilometers to the northeast.

ENDARASHA, Kenya: Kenyan police stepped up their investigations Saturday into a prime school dormitory blaze that has now cost the lives of 21 boys, as families faced an agonizing wait for news of their missing loved ones.

“It is a catastrophe beyond our imagination,” government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said at a press briefing at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in the central county of Nyeri, where the fire struck around midnight Thursday.

The flames engulfed a dormitory at the primary school where more than 150 boys aged between nine and 13 were sleeping.

Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said a total of 19 bodies had been recovered from the site and another two had died in hospital, up from a previous toll of 17 given by President William Ruto on Friday.

Earlier Saturday, the nation’s top prosecutor said he had instructed police to look into whether the deadly inferno had been caused by negligence or recklessness.

Of the total 156 boys in the dorm at the time, 139 had now been accounted for, either at home or in hospital, he added.

The charred bodies of the victims, which police had said were burnt beyond recognition, were found in the dormitory, now a blackened shell with its corrugated iron roof completely collapsed.




A general view of the body bags of pupils who died after a fatal fire at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County, Kenya, on September 7, 2024. (REUTERS)

Homicide teams and forensic experts stepped up their investigations at the school on Saturday, with DNA tests to be conducted to identify the victims

Chief government pathologist Johansen Oduor said postmortems would begin on Tuesday.

Fire hits school for girls

As the victims' families mourned, another fire broke out on Saturday night at Isiolo Girls High School, about 140 kilometers (90 miles) to the northeast.
Isiolo County communications director Hussein Salesa told AFP that two or three buildings had caught fire. “There are some injuries but we cannot confirm the exact figure at the moment.”
National police spokeswoman Resila Onyango said in a statement the flames had been contained with help from the army, and that there had been “no injuries” among students and staff.
Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga has instructed police to investigate what caused the Endarasha fire and “assess whether or not the tragedy may have resulted from negligence and/or recklessness of any responsibility holders,” his office said in a statement.
“Any person found culpable toward the fire tragedy shall be expediently taken through the due process of a criminal trial.”
The blaze has highlighted the issue of safety at schools in Kenya, after numerous similar disasters over the years.
Kenya’s National Gender and Equality Commission said initial reports indicated the dorm was “overcrowded, in violation of safety standards.
“This incident raises serious concerns about children’s rights to safety in educational institutions,” the NGO Vocal Africa said in a statement on X.

3 days of mourning

President William Ruto has declared three days of national mourning from Monday after what he described as an “unfathomable tragedy.”
He has called for a full investigation into the disaster and vowed that “all relevant persons and bodies will be held to account.”

Pope Francis said he was “deeply saddened” at the loss of young life and expressed his “spiritual closeness to all who are suffering the effects of this calamity, especially the injured and the families who grieve.”
Many families had been waiting anxiously for news of their loved ones, with one mother at the school angrily crying: “We don’t want the food donations. We want our children.”
The Kenya Red Cross was offering psychological counselling sessions to traumatized children and relatives, setting up white tents in fields outside the school gates.
Muchai Kihara, 56, said he was lucky to find his 12-year-old son Stephen Gachingi alive after rushing to the school around 1:00 am on Friday.
“I cannot begin to imagine what he went through,” he told AFP.
“I am happy he is alive but he had some injuries at the back of his head and the smoke had affected his eyes.”
 


Frankfurt airport warns of disruptions due to air traffic system fault

Frankfurt airport warns of disruptions due to air traffic system fault
Updated 1 min 1 sec ago
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Frankfurt airport warns of disruptions due to air traffic system fault

Frankfurt airport warns of disruptions due to air traffic system fault
  • DFS, which operates German air traffic control, has detected a nationwide problem in data transmission but it appears to be improving
  • Frankfurt is Germany’s busiest airport, with some 60 million people traveling via the airport last year

BERLIN: Flight delays and cancelations are expected at Frankfurt airport due to a technical problem with the German traffic control system, the airport said in a post on its social media platform X on Friday.
DFS, which operates German air traffic control, has detected a nationwide problem in data transmission but it appears to be improving, a spokesperson told Reuters, adding that other airports including Dusseldorf could be affected.
A spokesperson for airport operator Fraport said technical faults had been affecting the system since around 10 am (0800 GMT).
The airport advised travelers to check the status of their flight with their airline website.
Frankfurt is Germany’s busiest airport, with some 60 million people traveling via the airport last year.


12 bodies found in Mexico’s Guanajuato state in latest cartel violence

12 bodies found in Mexico’s Guanajuato state in latest cartel violence
Updated 48 min 18 sec ago
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12 bodies found in Mexico’s Guanajuato state in latest cartel violence

12 bodies found in Mexico’s Guanajuato state in latest cartel violence
  • Guanajuato, a thriving industrial center that is also home to popular tourist destinations, is currently Mexico’s most violent state
  • In Guanajuato, two cartels, the Santa Rosa de Lima and the Jalisco New Generation, are currently at war

CELAYA, Mexico: Twelve bodies were found on Thursday in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, local authorities said, attributing the killings to disputes between organized crime groups.
Guanajuato, a thriving industrial center that is also home to popular tourist destinations, is currently Mexico’s most violent state, according to official homicide statistics.
The 12 bodies were found within two hours in five locations in the city of Salamanca, according to the state prosecutor’s office, which is investigating the crime.
The victims — three women and nine men — were found on roads, bridges and avenues, their bodies bearing gunshot wounds and signs of torture, while one was dismembered.
The state prosecutor’s office also said the perpetrators left messages in which a cartel claimed responsibility.
The bodies were found less than 24 hours after gunmen attacked a residential center for people suffering from addictions in the same municipality, killing four.
“This month of October has started with very high crime rates here. That makes 16 people (murdered) so far,” Salamanca Mayor Cesar Prieto told reporters.
But he said the violence affecting the city was “a temporary issue” that flares up “when one group decides to attack another.”
In Guanajuato, two cartels, the Santa Rosa de Lima and the Jalisco New Generation, are currently at war.
Hit by spiraling violence linked to organized crime, Mexico has recorded more than 450,000 murders since December 2006, when a controversial military anti-drug operation was launched.
New President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that she will present her national security plan next Tuesday.


Pakistan seals off capital, blocks cellphones ahead of protest by Imran Khan’s party

Pakistan seals off capital, blocks cellphones ahead of protest by Imran Khan’s party
Updated 04 October 2024
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Pakistan seals off capital, blocks cellphones ahead of protest by Imran Khan’s party

Pakistan seals off capital, blocks cellphones ahead of protest by Imran Khan’s party
  • It would be the latest in a series of protest rallies since last month to press for Khan’s release
  • Islamabad police warn they would take action against anyone attempting to disturb the peace in the capital

ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan sealed off the capital, Islamabad, and blocked cellphone services on Friday to prevent an anti-government rally by supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, officials said.
It would be the latest in a series of protest rallies since last month to press for Khan’s release and agitate against the ruling coalition government, which the party calls illegitimate, saying it was formed after a fraudulent election.
Shipping containers have been placed to block Islamabad’s entry and exit points, guarded by large numbers of police and paramilitary troops, the officials said, while police banned any gathering in the capital.
“If someone plans to storm Islamabad, we wouldn’t let that happen,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told a news conference late on Thursday.
He urged Khan’s party to shift the rally to later dates, to avoid disrupting Islamabad’s preparations to host a meeting of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) on Oct. 15 and Oct. 16.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is visiting, to be followed by a high-profile Saudi delegation and Chinese Premier Li Qiang ahead of the conference, Naqvi said, adding, “We can’t allow any chaos.”
Any agitation in the capital would not send a good signal to the world ahead of the conference, Naqvi said.
Disregarding the appeal, Khan asked his supporters to gather outside parliament regardless of obstacles.
“I want you all to reach D-Chowk today for a peaceful protest rally,” he posted on X on Friday, referring to a spot outside parliament. “This war has entered a decisive phase.”
Even though Khan has been in jail since Aug 2023, candidates backed by him won the most seats in February’s general election, though their numbers were insufficient to form a government.
His opponents, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, formed a coalition government instead.
In a statement on Friday, Islamabad police warned they would take action against anyone attempting to disturb the peace in the capital, adding that any gathering had been banned.
Schools were shut and cellphone services suspended in Islamabad and the adjacent garrison city of Rawalpindi.
A telecoms official said cellphone services were blocked on directions from the interior ministry. A ministry spokesman did not respond to a request for a comment.


WHO approves first mpox diagnostic test

WHO approves first mpox diagnostic test
Updated 04 October 2024
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WHO approves first mpox diagnostic test

WHO approves first mpox diagnostic test
  • More than 800 people have died across Africa from mpox, where the disease has been officially detected in 16 countries, according to the African Union’s disease control center

GENEVA: The UN health agency said on Friday that it had approved the use of the first diagnostic test for mpox, a key tool in countries battling outbreaks.
More than 800 people have died across Africa from mpox, where the disease has been officially detected in 16 countries, according to the African Union’s disease control center.
“The approval for emergency use” of the test “will be pivotal in expanding diagnostic capacity in countries facing mpox outbreaks, where the need for quick and accurate testing has risen sharply,” the World Health Organization said in a statement.
The test, called the Alinity m MPXV assay and manufactured by Abbott Molecular Inc., enables the detection of the mpox virus from swabs taken from human lesions.
“By detecting DNA from pustular or vesicular rash samples, laboratory and health workers can confirm suspected mpox cases efficiently and effectively,” the WHO said.
“Limited testing capacity and delays in confirming mpox cases persist in Africa, contributing to the continued spread of the virus,” it said.
The approval of the test “represents a significant milestone in expanding testing availability in affected countries,” the statement quoted Yukiko Nakatani, an assistant director-general of WHO, as saying.
“Increasing access to quality-assured medical products is central to our efforts in assisting countries to contain the spread of the virus and protect their people, especially in underserved regions,” Nakatani said.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact.
It causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions, and can be deadly.


Philippines detains more than 250 in scam hub raid

Philippines detains more than 250 in scam hub raid
Updated 04 October 2024
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Philippines detains more than 250 in scam hub raid

Philippines detains more than 250 in scam hub raid
  • International concern has been growing over similar scam farms in Asia, often staffed by victims of trafficking who were tricked or coerced into promoting bogus crypto investments and other cons

MANILA: Philippine authorities have detained more than 250 people, most of them Chinese, in a raid on a suspected online scam farm in Manila, law enforcement officials said Friday.
Police and other authorities raided the office building late Thursday to find staff with hundreds of phones, computers, and pre-registered international and local SIM cards, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission said.
“These are red flags of love scamming that victimizes foreign nationals,” the commission said in a statement, referring to schemes in which scammers pretend to have romantic feelings for their victims in order to earn their trust and eventually steal their money.
International concern has been growing over similar scam farms in Asia, often staffed by victims of trafficking who were tricked or coerced into promoting bogus crypto investments and other cons.
In July, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos outlawed all forms of offshore gaming operators, including Internet gaming license holders, after the gambling industry was found to be linked to financial scams, kidnapping, prostitution, human trafficking, torture and murder.
Thousands of foreign workers at the outlawed firms were given two months to leave the Philippines.
In the Manila raid on Thursday, 190 Chinese, two Taiwanese and 62 Filipinos were detained at the offices of a company called 3D Analyzer Information Technologies Inc.
The company used to have an Internet gaming license but subsequently told regulators it had “ceased operations,” Gilberto Cruz, the executive director of the anti-crime commission, told AFP.
“We’re looking for their passports or working visas, but they couldn’t show us anything,” Cruz added.
The commission will liaise with the Beijing and Taipei missions to help identify and arrange the deportation of the foreigners, the official said.
Meanwhile, Filipinos found to be involved in scamming activities will be charged in court, he added.
Cruz said the commission would also apply to the courts for warrants to search computers found inside the office.