<<Print>>

At least 25 primary school children were killed when their thatched-roof classrooms caught fire in southern Niger on Monday, the council of ministers said in a statement.

Fourteen more children were injured, including five in critical condition, the statement said. The school is in the town of Maradi, more than 600 kilometers (370 miles) east of the capital Niamey.

"For the moment we cannot state the origin of the fire," regional director of education Maman Hdi said.