NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Nine students accused of planning and executing an arson attack that killed 16 girls at a school in central Kenya appeared in court Tuesday. Investigators asked for more time to probe the deadly fire. The High Court in the town of Naivasha, 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of the capital, Nairobi, said it will issue a ruling on Wednesday on whether the girls could be detained for a month pending investigations.The fire on May 28 ripped through the Utumishi Girls School dormitory that houses 202 students. The school matron failed to open an emergency door, forcing all students to scamper through a single door, according to investigators.The accused girls have been in police custody for five days, during which interrogations revealed the fire was started by lighting a mattress at the dormitory’s exit using a matchstick and paraffin. No motive has been revealed so far.
The results of DNA tests to determine the identities of some of the bodies that were charred beyond recognition are expected on Wednesday. CCTV footage obtained from the razed dormitory showed six students starting the fire moments before students woke up, rushing to escape the blaze that left 79 wounded.
