At least 27 people have died in a fire at an Islamic school in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpa.
Emergency crews responded within minutes and the blaze was put out within an hour but it left extensive damage.
The fire at Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah, a “tahfiz” boarding school where students learn to memorise the Koran, was reported
around 5.40 a.m. local time (2140 GMT Wednesday), according to a statement from the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department.
Officials suspect an electrical short circuit or a lit mosquito repellant coil caused the blaze which broke out before dawn in bedrooms of the two-storey building.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Amar Singh told reporters that 22 students and 2 wardens were killed. All the students were boys
aged 13-17, and they probably suffocated due to smoke inhalation.
