Monrovia: At least 26 young pupils and two teachers were killed on Wednesday in a fire at a Koranic school near the Liberian capital Monrovia, the president's office said. The young boys were sleeping in the school dormitory when the fire began overnight, said police spokesman Moses Carter, adding that an electrical fault could have caused the blaze.

President George Weah visited the site in Paynesville, on the outskirts of the capital, and said the cause was still unknown. The pupils who died were aged between 10 and 20, according to a presidential spokesman. The police spokesman said 27 students had been killed. "We are here to encourage parents of the victims to have strength, because it is painful to lose your kids in this manner," Weah told reporters at the scene.