18 of those who died were female students of the Mahdia Secondary School. The 9th child was a young boy who was the son of the caretaker of the facility.

A number of other children are nursing severe burns and other injuries.

According to News Source, the fire reportedly started just after 11:00 PM on Sunday night while most of the children were asleep. It quickly engulfed the heavily grilled wooden building, and that resulted in many of the children being trapped.

Villagers recounted that the fire service was summoned moments after the blaze was noticed. By the time the firemen arrived, the entire building was engulfed in flames.

The firemen were forced to hammer a hole through the concrete wall to reach some of the children. They were able to save more than 20 of them.

3 days of national mourning

President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, who flew into the community for an on the ground assessment and to offer his sympathy to the families of those who lost their children, said the tragedy has left the nation broken and in mourning.

“This is a horrific incident and its tragic, it is painful and I cannot imagine the pain of the parents and of the children, and as a country we will have to deal with this”, President Ali said.

The Mahdia Secondary School houses a large number of students from outlying indigenous communities.

Many of them lived in the school dorm.

The President has announced three days of national mourning.