By Leilah Bbaale
Ugandan police say at least 11 people, among them students, were killed and six others are in a critical condition after a dormitory caught fire at a school for visually impaired children in Mukono, east of the capital, Kampala.
The police director for Fire and Rescue Services Assistant Inspector General of Police, Joseph Mugisa says the fire broke out at around midnight at Salaam School of the blind in Ntengeru, Kisonga town in Mukono district.
According to Mugisa, a number of other children have been injured and six are in critical condition and are being admitted at Herona hospital in Kisoga.
He says the cause of the fire is still unknown but adds that investigations are ongoing.
School fires are common in Uganda, sometimes started from children lighting candles in their dormitories after lights out.
Managing the fire is in many cases hampered by overcrowding in the school children’s sleeping areas.
