Fire sweeps through school in Niger, kills 20 children

Niamey (Niger): More than 20 children were killed and dozens more injured when a fire swept through a school in Niger's second-largest city, Maradi.

Three classrooms made of straw were consumed by the fire at the pre-school and primary school called AFN', taking the lives of the children aged between 3 and 8, the government said late Monday.

An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the fire and where it started, the Regional Direction of National Education confirmed.

Straw huts are often used as temporary classrooms in overcrowded schools in Niger in West Africa.