At Least 23 Die in Dormitory Fire
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Fire killed at least 23 students trapped behind chained doors and barred windows in an all-girls high school dormitory in remote northern Nigeria, local officials and news reports said. Villagers used a shovel to force open a bathroom window, saving some of the girls, the Guardian daily in Lagos said.
The fire broke out late Monday at a 165-bed residence for a government school in Gindiri village, 120 miles north of the capital, Abuja. State-run radio said it was started by an overturned kerosene lantern.
Buildings in Nigeria customarily are heavily protected against theft.
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