A fire that broke out inside a school in southern Niger killed at least 26 children aged five and six. The fire quickly destroyed the school's classrooms, which were mostly made out of straw and wood.
Maradi city Mayor Chaibou Aboubacar confirmed that 26 children were burned to death during the fire and 13 others were injured, four of which are now in serious condition.
The fire broke out just months after a similar tragedy occurred in the Niger capital of Niamey. The school fire in the capital, which occurred in April, killed 20 preschool students.
The school was located in the town just 600 kilometers (370 miles) east of the capital city. The victims who died were primary school children trapped when their classroom's thatched-roof caught fire and collapsed.
Niger's regional director of education, Maman Hdi, said they have yet to identify the cause of the fire, and they are still investigating the incident. For now, classes have been suspended for three days to mourn the deaths of the students.
In recent years, one of the poorest countries in the world has been forced to address its shortage of classrooms and schools by constructing them with light materials such as wood and straw. These facilities often do not have any tables or chairs, and children sometimes have to sit on the ground when attending classes.
Classroom fires in Niger are common because of how they are constructed, but they are rarely fatal. In light of the recent incident, government officials have called on the ban of straw and wood classrooms across the county.
The secretary-general of the Niger Teachers' Union, Issoufou Arzika, called on officials to immediately take action to prevent similar tragedies from happening. Arzika also reminded officials of the dangers of straw and wood classrooms.
Arzika said it would likely be better if classes were held outside or under trees rather than in wood and straw huts, which he described as becoming "flammable graves for pupils."
Niger President Mohamed Bazoum previously promised to eliminate wood and straw classrooms and replace them with less flammable and sturdier structures.
