Sixteen students have been killed in a fire at a boarding school in Gilgil, about 120km (77 miles) west of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, the authorities have confirmed.

Dozens of other students were injured and taken to hospital - 71 were later discharged and seven admitted for further treatment, Education Minister Julius Ogamba said while visiting the scene of the blaze.

The fire at the Utumishi Girls Academy started in the early hours of Thursday while the students were asleep.

Police said search-and-rescue operations were under way with authorities yet to establish the cause of the fire. The Kenya Red Cross said emergency responders were on ground to offer support.

Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen, who was also among the officials gathered at the school, sent his condolences to the bereaved families.

"It's a very anxious moment and even as we account for the 16 so far identified as having passed on, I want to ask the people of Kenya that together we stand with the families... in prayer, in support.

"I ask everyone to be patient and avoid speculation," he said.

Earlier speaking to parents and crowds outside the school, police commander Masoud Mwinyi said: "It is a sad and distressing situation."

Fires are not uncommon in Kenyan boarding schools, with several deadly incidents reported in recent years. Many have been the result of arson, with disgruntled pupils - angry about the discipline and living conditions - accused of being responsible, while others were caused by accident.

Overcrowding in dormitories and the failure to follow safety guidelines, such as keeping exits clear and windows unlocked, have frequently been blamed for the high number of casualties.

According to the police, the fire in Gilgil broke out around 01:00 local time (22:00 GMT Wednesday) and engulfed a dormitory block housing about 220 students.

Mwinyi said some students fled into nearby areas during the chaos and were still being traced.

"As we speak, our officers are combing the area because some students fled in shock and fear during the night," he said.

Mwinyi said investigations were ongoing. The school has been cordoned off, with only parents being allowed inside the compound.

Wambui Nderitu, whose cousin is a student at the school, said family members coming to the scene were met with confusion and fear.

"When we arrived at the school we were told to queue. Most of us were so worried because we had heard some students had died and others were injured and in hospital."

She said some students were injured after jumping from the upper floor of the dormitory while trying to escape.

"Some of those at the top floor had to jump out, that's why they are injured."

Nderitu said her cousin survived the fire but suffered a broken leg. "I found her… she is fine… but she has a broken leg," she explained.

Kenya has had a long history of school fires, with the deadliest being in 2001 when 67 students died in Machakos county, south-east of the capital, after some students set fire to a dormitory.

In 2024, at least 21 people died in a dormitory fire in central Kenya and similar incidents in 2022 and 2017 led to deaths and destruction in schools.

In November 2021, the ministry of education issued a response to a parliamentary committee which had requested more information on school arson and revealed that there were 126 such cases between January and November 2020.

The Reuters news agency quotes research from 2018 saying that 60 cases of arson were recorded in that year.