(From AFP)
Seventeen young girls died after a fire swept through the dormitory of a school for children of hill tribes in northern Thailand, officials said Monday, adding several others were injured in the blaze.
The fire started late Sunday, meaning many of the children at the charity-run Christian school were asleep and unable to escape as flames engulfed the two-storey building.
“The fire broke out at 11pm on Sunday (1600 GMT). Seventeen girls were killed, with five injured,” Colonel Prayad Singsin of the police in Chiang Rai said.
Two of the injured are in a serious condition, he said, but added that initial fears that two more girls were missing had been discounted after rescuers picked through the charred debris.
“The fire is out, but the cause of the blaze is still under investigation,” Prayad said, adding forensic officers were due to arrive. Read More