At least 17 pupils were burned to death and 13 others seriously injured following a fire incident at a school in central Kenya, local police confirmed Friday.

National Police Service Spokesperson Resila Onyango said that 14 pupils were sent to hospital with serious burns following the fire on Thursday night at Hillside Endarasha Primary Academy in Nyeri County. One died after being admitted.

There are fears that the death toll could rise as more than a dozen others have been taken to hospital with severe burns.

The cause of the fire at Hillside Endarasha Primary in Nyeri county is being investigated, police spokesperson Resila Onyango told local media.

xinhua