At least four pupils are feared dead after a pit latrine caved in at the Queen of Angels Primary School in Turbo Sub-County, Uasin Gishu County.
While confirming the incident, Turbo Sub-County Police Commander Peter Wekesa revealed that a rescue team had already been dispatched to retrieve the learners.
During the rescue operation, three pupils were successfully removed from the collapsed latrine, while others are yet to be found, with reports suggesting that the four remaining pupils could have died.
“We are at the scene digging up the area to find out if there are children underground,” Wekesa stated, adding that a detailed report would be issued soon.
Preliminary reports indicated that the incident occurred this morning while the learners had gone to relieve themselves before commencing their routine learning activities.
Meanwhile, those rescued were rushed to the nearest hospital for treatment, with investigations currently underway to establish the cause of the latrine's collapse.
It is not the first time such a tragedy has been reported in a Kenyan school. In an analogous incident in March this year, two students at Ramba Boys High School in Rarieda, Siaya County, died after a septic tank collapsed while they were inside.
According to a police report, the two Form Four students were part of a group of learners who were standing on top of the septic tank when it caved in at around 6 pm.
The police and officers from the Kenya Red Cross visited the school on the fateful evening and worked overnight to retrieve the bodies of the deceased students.
After several hours of searching, the rescuers successfully pulled out the two bodies and later took them to the Bondo Sub-County Referral Hospital for preservation.
A day later, the students held demonstrations demanding the immediate transfer of their school principal, whom they accused of poor leadership.
The situation forced the school administration to temporarily close the institution for a fortnight, after which students were allowed to return to learning.
