26 children, 2 teachers died in Liberia school fire

MONROVIA: Dozens of children were killed on Wednesday in a fire at a Koranic school near the Liberian capital Monrovia. At least 26 children and two teachers died in the blaze overnight, the president’s office said, citing information from the emergency services.

President George Weah visited the site in Paynesville, on the outskirts of the capital, and said the cause was still unknown. “We are here to encourage parents of the victims to have strength, because it is painful to lose your kids in this manner,” Weah told reporters. “We extend our sympathy to the bereaved families. We don’t know the cause of the fire yet, but we will encourage our investigators to find how it happened,” he added.

Rescuers in white masks and surgical gloves carried the children´s bodies in bags from the burnt-out building as crowds of people and relatives crushed together outside.