The fire at Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah religious school broke out early this morning. "The death toll was confirmed to be 23 students and 2 teachers," Khirudin Drahman, director of the fire and rescue department, told AFP.
The age of the victims is not yet clear. Schools like this are often boarding schools, where students study Koran, accepting students from 5 to 18 years old.
The emergency official said the fire in the Jalan Datuk keramat area could be one of the worst disasters in Malaysia in 20 years.
Images published by local newspapers show that the entire upper floor of the school, where the students were sleeping, caught fire fiercely. Parents panicked and stood in the area outside the school gate.
Some students were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
Malaysian authorities have warned against taking safety measures at private religious schools following a series of fires.
Local media reported that more than 200 fires have occurred since 2015.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak wrote on Twitter expressing condolences to the victims.
