At least 26 children aged 5 and 6 were killed Monday (8/11) in a fire that broke out at their school in Maradi, southern Niger.
This was stated to the French Agency by the governor of the region Chaibu Abubakar.
” At the moment there are 26 deaths, 13 injured, four of them seriously, ” said the governor, explaining that the young children were “first-timers”, students of the preparatory class ” between 5 and 6 years old “.
” We do not know the source of the fire, an investigation has been opened to determine the causes, ” he added, adding that ” three days of mourning have been declared in the Maradi district since today, Tuesday .”
In Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world, authorities are building thousands of sheds, made of straw and wood, where children learn, often sitting on the ground, to make up for the lack of classrooms, according to AFP.
Fires in such classrooms, made of unsafe and highly flammable materials are common, but rarely cause casualties.
The country’s president, Mohamed Bazoum, recently promised to replace these halls with permanent buildings.
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