Masaka, Uganda | URN | The death toll from a fire that gutted a dormitory at Kasaana Junior School in Nyendo-Mukungwe Division, Masaka City, has reached four. The incident that happened at 4:30am on Monday morning also left 11 pupils injured.
According to Kasaana Junior School authorities, the dormitory accommodated 15 children in Top and Primary One class.
The latest victims have been identified as Hillary Walugembe and Arnold Tumwesige, who succumbed to the injuries they sustained during the devastating fire.
Greater Masaka Regional Police Spokesperson Jamada Wandera said that the two pupils died at Kiruddu Hospital in Kampala, where they had been referred.
According to the school records, some of the injured pupils include Shahib Mwanje, Ssendagire Jordan, Poel Ssenoga, Grant Matovu, Muganga Martin, Alpha Wasswa, Austine Kisomose, and Elijah Ssemambo, all of whom are pupils in the pre-primary section of the school.
The fire has been attributed to a spark from the mobile phone, said to belong to the matron, Christine Adong, which was reportedly left to charge overnight. However, this could not be independently verified.
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The matron was among the injured and was also rushed alongside some affected pupils to Masaka Hospital in critical condition.
Preliminary findings from the police suggest that an electrical short circuit is the likely cause of the fire.
At the time of filing this story, the school was still closed to the public, including parents who had rushed there with the intention of collecting their children.
