26 Children Burnt To Death In Niger Republic

At least 26 school children were burnt to death when their classrooms made out of straw and wood were engulfed in a blaze in southern Niger.

The mayor of Maradi Chaibou said, another 13 were injured, adding that the children were aged between five and six.

Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world, has tried to fix shortages of school buildings by constructing thousands of straw and wood sheds to serve as classrooms, with children sometimes sitting on the ground.

Fires in the highly flammable classrooms are common but rarely result in casualties.

Recall that, 20 schoolchildren were burned to death in a school fire in a working-class district of Niamey in April.