Tanzanian police have just arrested the owner of a school where 10 students died on Monday in a dormitory fire. Seven other students were also injured and hospitalized in the northwestern region of Kagera.
According to Police Inspector General Simon Sirro, investigations were underway to determine the cause of the fire at the Byamungu English Primary School. The Tanzanian police officer said preliminary results indicated that the dormitory had not been built to appropriate standards. He said the electrical wiring in the dormitory was faulty and the entire building collapsed when the roof broke. An indication that the construction materials used were of inferior quality.
“We’ve appointed an investigation team of police and fire department officials to conduct thorough investigations to establish the cause of the accident,” he said.
Regional Commissioner, Marco Kaguti, told the media that the dormitory housed boys between the ages of 6 and 10. He also noted that the source of the fire was in one of the school’s dormitories where 74 children resided. Local authorities were asked to investigate the education inspectors who authorized the school to house the students in the dormitory.
“We’ve suspended all boarding services as a precautionary measure. We ask parents whose children have been residing here to take them home until further notice,” Kaguti said.
School fire tragedies are common in the area and calls are being made for increased safety at the school. In July, three students were killed in the main city, Dar es Salaam, after a dormitory at Ilala Islamic Secondary School caught fire.
All schools in Tanzania reopened on June 29 after being closed for three months due to the Coronavirus pandemic. As for the country’s universities, they have resumed their educational activities with hygiene rules put in place by the Ministry of Health since June 1st.
However, it should be noted that Tanzania is one of the countries most spared by Covid-19; with only 509 cases, 183 recoveries, and 21 deaths.
Source: Afrik
