At least 20 children have died in a fire at a school in Niger, according to unconfirmed reports on social media.
The horror incident is said to have taken place in the city of Maradi on Monday.
Pictures taken at the scene show adults and children gathering at the scene of the fire, where smoke can be seen rising from the ground.
Unconfirmed sources on social media claimed the fire happened at a kindergarten.
So far, it is not clear what caused the fire and there has been no official confirmation of it.
The alleged tragedy happened just months after a fire at another school on the outskirt’s of Niger’s capital, Niamey, killed 20 children.
The pupils were attending classes at the time of the fire, which the director of the school described as a “disaster”.
Following the tragedy in April, the National Union of Teachers of Niger issued a statement calling for an end to classes in straw huts.
The organisation said: “It is important that from here that the authorities stop the classes in straw huts.”
Adults and children were seen at the scene of the fire
A man who lost his six-year-old son in the fire urged the government to build safe schools, BBC News reports.
He said: “Let’s not put everything in the hands of God, let’s not put everything in the hands of the state.
“We have lost 20 children in a fraction of a second – we must call on the state to say that hut classes should no longer exist anywhere in the country.”
