At least 26 people have been killed and 13 others injured when grass-cutting classrooms caught fire in Maradi.
At least 26 students have died when their classrooms were made of grass and wood after a fire broke out in southern Niger. The local governor told AFP.
“So far, we have 26 dead and 13 injured, four of them seriously,” said Chaibou Aboubacar, mayor of Maradi, adding that the children were between the ages of six and six, according to AFP. fire case Monday. .
Niger, one of the world’s poorest nations, has worked to alleviate the shortage of school facilities by building thousands of grass and wood floors for classrooms and, in some cases, children sitting on the floor.
Fires in classrooms that can burn too much are common but often lead to accidents.
However, 20 students were set on fire at a school in Niamey state in April.
Issoufou Arzika, secretary general of the Niger Teachers’ Union, told AFP that Monday’s fire “destroyed” the Maradi school.
Arzika said his alliance had warned officials about the dangers of grass and wood classrooms after the Niamey fire.
“It’s better to study under the trees than in thatched-roof cottages, which have become a burning grave for students,” he said.
President Mohamed Bazoum recently promised to renovate wooden houses.
The school fire came just days after 18 people died in a gold mine collapse in the Dan-Issa state in the north of the country.
