A fire at an Islamic boarding school for boys killed at least 24 people, most of them students, in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Thursday morning, officials said.
Officials suspected an electrical short circuit caused the blaze that broke out in a top floor dormitory, where most of the students perished.
The fire at Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah, a “tahfiz” boarding school where students learn to memorize the Koran, was reported around 5.40 a.m. local time (2140 GMT Wednesday), according to a statement from the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department.
The officials initially gave a death toll of 25 people, but later revised it to 22 students and 2 wardens.
The blaze began in the sleeping quarters on the top floor of the three-storey school building, the statement said.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Amar Singh told reporters the boys who died were aged 13-17, and that they were probably suffocated due to smoke inhalation.
“They’re still counting the bodies, which were piled on top of each other in a corner,” Singh said.
Hundreds of people, including families of some victims were gathered outside the school, as more bodies were being removed by fire officials.
The police chief said no foul play was suspected.
Abu Obaidat bin Mohamad Saithalimat, deputy director of the fire department told reporters outside the school that the fire was likely caused by short circuit.
Seven people were taken to a nearby hospital for injuries, while 11 others were rescued, officials said.
Tahfiz schools, which are unregulated by the education ministry and fall under the purview of the religious department, have been under scrutiny since earlier this year when an 11-year-old boy died after reported abuse in Johor, north of Singapore.
CRIES FOR HELP
A man identified only as Hazin, who lived next door to the school, said his son called the fire department after they heard screams and saw the flames.
"The children were crying for help, but I couldn't help them as the door was already on fire," he told Reuters.
"I only managed to save a few of the kids who jumped out the window."
Hazin said his friend's son was among the students who perished.
"We ran there because he knew he was inside, but I couldn't save him. He was trapped inside," he said.
While the emergency services removed the victims and inspected the site, distraught parents were seen crying as they spoke with officials on the street where hundreds of people had gathered.
Viewed from outside the only obvious tell-tale signs of the disaster at the school were the blackened upper floor windows, as otherwise, the tin roofed building appeared unscathed, with a Malaysian flag hanging limply from the yellow external walls.
Only inside did the intensity of the inferno become clear, as the dormitory was completely blackened, lined with the charred frames of bunk beds where the boys had slept.
Several of the 18 survivors were taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries, officials said. Trucks carrying bodies of the victims were seen arriving at the morgue.
Tahfiz schools, which are unregulated by the education ministry and fall under the purview of the religious department, have been under scrutiny since earlier this year when an 11-year-old boy died after reported abuse in Johor, north of Singapore.
Officials said based on the records of the Kuala Lumpur fire safety department, the school had just submitted a request for fire safety approval for the building but no checks had been carried as at the request was still being processed.
