Here's the list of students who died in Rakai school inferno
The names of ten students who died in the fire that gutted a secondary school in Rakai district have been released.
On Sunday night, tragedy befell St.Bernard Secondary School, Manya in Kifamba sub -county, Rakai district when a boys’ dormitory was set ablaze by unknown people killing ten students instantly.
The deceased, all senior three students have been identified as Charles Ssuuna, 16, Sam Nsubuga, 15, Antonio Ssekitende, 15, Tomity Bukenya, 16 and Geofrey Lutaaya, 21.
Others are Remegious Tamale, 16, Hudson Byamukama, 22, Emmanuel Kasozi, 15, Sharif Dodiye, 15 and Maurice Basiita, 15.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the dormitory could have been torched by a group of senior four students who were expelled from school recently over indiscipline.
According to the Rakai District Police Commander Ben Kashumbusha, investigators suspect that after being expelled from school, the students who were not happy with the decision by the management planned to revenge by collaborating with other people inside the school.
“We have not clearly found out how they accessed the school but we suspect that they coordinated the mission together with colleagues inside the school that on the day of the mission, it was easy for them to access the school,” the senior police officer said.
“On entering, the assailants who were armed with petrol and matchboxes first put padlocks on the dormitory’s door setting it ablaze.”
He added that the police fire brigade had to break two padlocks on the door in order to rescue some of the students from the raging fire.
Warden, four students arrested
Five people including the dormitory warden and four other senior students expelled from the school recently have been arrested to aid police in investigations.
Police is expected to carry out DNA tests on the bodies to be able to ascertain their identities.
Over 30 students have been admitted at Kitovu hospital in critical condition after the incident.
The Education minister Janet Kataaha Museveni, her Security counterpart, Gen.Elly Tumwine and the ISO Director General Col.Kaka have visited the school to ascertain circumstances under which the incident happened.
