A fire broke out at a school in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur in the early hours of Thursday 14 September, killing at least 23 students and 2 adults.
The school was the three-story Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah Tahfiz school – an Islamic religious school.
Eyewitness reported being woken up by loud cries for help from within the burning building, where they saw children trapped behind windows covered with metal grilles.
CNN quotes eyewitness Shahirman Shahril as saying, “I saw children kicking on the grill but they couldn’t get out. My friends and I rushed over and tried to reach them but we couldn’t get in.”
By the time rescue crews got there, 90% of the building had reportedly burnt down.
Besides those who died in the flames, at least four others suffered serious burns, say reports.
“The firemen could hear cries for help from inside the building,” CNN spokesman Soiman Jahid said. “The first team from (the) fire station managed to save five of the children from the lower level.”
The charred remains of beds within the school. Photo: CNN screengrab
The school should NOT have been in operation
Malaysia’s Minister of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government, Noh Omar is quoted by the CNN as saying that “the school’s license was being reviewed by the authorities and it should not have been in operation.”