Journal De Bruxelles - Smoke and screams: The horror of Kenya's school dorm inferno

The youngster recounted his lucky escape to his distraught mother Catherine Nyawira, who is demanding to know what caused the fire that has killed so many of Devlin's schoolmates.

A total of 18 boys have been confirmed dead after the tragedy struck around midnight on Thursday at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in a semi-rural area of Nyeri county, while dozens more remain unaccounted for.

"He said they were told to go to bed at about 9:30 pm and he was startled from his sleep by the smell of smoke," 34-year-old Nyawira told AFP outside the school.

"They were banging metal boxes and the tin walls of the hostel because some of the students are heavy sleepers. It was the quickest way they could alert others of the danger," she recalled her son telling her.

"He saw a yellow blaze near the door and saw he could not escape there. Along with other boys, they broke a window and escaped."

Nyawira spoke of her relief at finding Devlin, sitting by her son near a Red Cross tent set up outside the school gates to provide counselling for traumatised children and relatives.

"I called his name and he responded. He was shaking and in just his shorts.

"I cannot begin to explain how I was feeling. Other women were screaming and could not find their children."

Nyawira said she was not impressed by how the authorities have handled the situation and their communication with the families.

"Leave alone those who lost their children, we also want to know what happened inside there," she said.

She complained that relatives waiting desperately at the school for news were told nothing.

She only found out information later from media sites on her phone.

"I think my son is in denial. We have not known who died. He is just hearing rumours about his friends who might have died," Niyawira said.

- 'Happy he is alive' -

Vinod Kagari, 13, also survived the flames by escaping through a dormitory window with a friend, wearing just shorts and a vest in the bitterly cold night air.

His stricken parents, Wilson Macharia and Charity Muthoni, spoke to AFP as they watched Vinod receive counselling in a Red Cross tent.

Macharia described a "very tense and anxious" journey to the school after finding out about the disaster.

"Our son has respiratory problems and the news of a fire and smoke is not what you want to hear. We knew it was going to affect his health so bad."

He said Vinod was sleeping in a compartment at the end of the dormitory that had not caught fire.

"I hope this situation does not stop him from achieving his dream. His dream is also our hope."

Muchai Kihara, 56, said he was lucky to find his 12-year-old son, Stephen Gachingi, alive after rushing to the school around 1:00 am on Friday.

"I cannot begin to imagine what he went through. I am happy he is alive but he had some injuries at the back of his head and the smoke had affected his eyes," he told AFP.

The father of four -- Stephen is his second youngest child -- said he had not yet summoned up the courage to ask the youngster what had happened.

"I just want him to be counselled now to see if his life will return to normal," Kihara said.

R.Vandevelde--JdB