In a tragic accident, a fire at an Islamic boarding school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia killed nearly 23 people. Witnesses saw teenage boys screaming for help from the barred windows while the building went up in flames.
At around 5:40 A.M., the fire started on the top floor of the three storey building. The teenage boys aged between 13 and 17 were sleeping in the dormitory on the third floor as the fire engulfed the building. The incident caused the death of two teachers as well.
Just this year, 30 fires have been reported at these “tahfiz” schools that teach the students to memorize the Quran. These institutions are unregulated by the education ministry and a responsibility of the religious department.
Deputy Director of the Fire Department, Soiman Jahid said, “The building was surrounded by metal grills that could not be opened from the inside. The students, after realizing the fire and heavy smoke, tried to escape through the window. But because of the grills, they could not escape.”
Only eight of the boys trapped inside the school managed to escape when one 15 year old boy broke a window and climbed down the water pipe and a few others followed.
