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People and rescuers walk on debris of The Precious Talent Top School in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. The school collapsed in Kenya's capital on Monday morning, and officials said at least seven children were killed. Two others were critical condition. AP/PTI[/caption]
Nairobi, Sep. 23 (IANS): At least seven children were killed and 57 injured on Monday after a classroom in a school in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi collapsed, authorities said.
The classroom at the Precious Talent School, a two-storey building made of wood and metal panels on Ngong Road in western Nairobi, collapsed just before 7 a.m., reports Efe news.
Government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna said: "Fifty-seven students have been taken to hospital for treatment and we can also confirm that there have been seven fatalities.
"This is a private school but the government is going to ensure the injured pupils receive medical treatment."
Emergency services and neighbours helped rescue children.
The communications officer for the Saint John ambulance service, Fred Majiwa, said the concrete top floor of the building fell through to the stories below.
Elementary school classrooms for children under five were housed on the upper floor while the older students studied on the lower floors of the building.
The school's owner, Moses Wainaina, said the tragedy was an "accident" but blamed municipal workers for recent sewer works that he said had weakened the building's foundations.
The spokesperson said the government would help bear the costs of medical care.
Injured children were taken to the Kenyatta National Hospital, the largest in the country, for treatment.