Students killed in dormitory fire horror

A fire has killed 23 people, mostly teenagers, trapped behind barred windows and a blocked exit in an Islamic school dormitory on the outskirts of Malaysia’s capital.

Firefighters rushed to the scene after receiving a distress call at 5:41am local time and took an hour to put out the blaze, which started on the top floor of the three-storey building, Kuala Lumpur police chief Amar Singh said. He said there were at least 23 bodies, 21 of them boys between 13 and 17, and two teachers. At least 14 other boys were rescued.

“We believe (they died of) suffocation...the bodies were totally burnt,” Mr Singh said.

The fire broke out near the door of the boys’ dormitory, trapping the victims. The cause was believed to be a short-circuit.

A fire department official said the bodies were piled on top of each other, indicating a possible stampede as people tried to flee the fire.

Police said they were still finalising the details and investigating the cause.