At least 25 people, mostly students, were killed in a fire at a school in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur early Thursday.
Twenty-three students and two wardens died in the fire, which broke out at a religious school, Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah, according to Bernama, the country’s official news agency.
Photos from the scene showed fire damage to the top floor of a three-story building. Emergency services were still at the scene mid-morning local time.
Six students and a member of the public were injured in the incident, the report added, citing the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak expressed his sympathy for those affected in a tweet.
“It’s sad to read Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah Center burned & killed more than 20 lives. May the blessed soul of Allah SWT. Al Fatihah,” he tweeted on social media.
The Fire and Rescue Department received a distress call at 5.41 a.m., Bernama reported.
Developing story – more to come