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Niger: At least 26 students dead after school fire

At least 26 children aged 5 and 6 years lost their lives today in fire that broke out in school in Maradi, in the south Niger, said the governor of the region Chaibu Abubakar to the French Agency.

“It simply came to our notice then 26 deaths, 13 injured“, of which four are serious”, said the governor, clarifying that the young children were “first-timers”, according to the APE BPE – that is, students of the preparatory class “between 5 and 6 years old”.

“We do not know her origin of the fire, has been opened research “to find out the causes”, he added, announcing that from tomorrow, Tuesday, “three days of mourning were declared in the region of Maradi”.

Images from the tragic event circulated the world through the media or on social media posts, such as the ones that follow. In some of them, it is mentioned that the report of the victims exceed the 26 people.

In Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world, authorities are building thousands of sheds made of straw and wood, where children take lessons, often sitting on the ground, in order to cover the shortages of classrooms, AFP reports.

Fires in such classrooms, made of unsafe and highly flammable materials are frequent, but rarely cause casualties.

The President of the country, Mohamed Bazoum, recently promised to replace these rooms with permanent buildings.

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