CHIANG RAI , Thailand, May 23 (UPI) — A fire in an elementary school dormitory killed 18 girls in northern Thailand, officials said Monday.
They were among 38 children, all girls between 5 and 12, who were asleep at the private Pitakiatwittaya School Christian elementary school in Thailand’s Chiang Rai Province, when the fire broke out late Sunday. The cause of the fire in the two-story wooden dormitory has not been determined.
Five students were injured, two seriously, Col. Prayad Singsin of the Chiang Rai police said. Several students remain missing.
“Some were not yet asleep so they escaped, but others were asleep and could not escape, resulting in the large number of casualties.” said Arkom Sukapan, the province’s deputy governor.
The school, which has 142 students, specializes in providing free education to impoverished local tribe members. It said on its Facebook page the school would be closed until Friday.
