At least 17 schoolgirls have been killed in a fire that ripped through a dormitory in northern Thailand.<br /> <br /> Terrible news: at least 17 schoolgirls. aged between 5/13, killed in Thai dormitory fire. Our sincere condoleances. pic.twitter.com/mcpT9FV2qW— NLambThailand (KarelEmb) May 23, 2016<br /> <br /> <br />The fire broke out at night while the girls aged between 5 and 13 were in bed.<br /> <br /> 18 girls killed in Thai elementary school dorm fire: https://t.co/9SyL3VyJsH pic.twitter.com/iJr0JTwYqb— CNN International (cnni) May 23, 2016<br /> <br />Two girls are still missing and five are injured, two of them seriously.<br /> <br />The school in Chiang Rai houses 38 students from the region’s poor hill tribes.<br /> <br />Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the blaze.<br /> <br />Local media report that those that made their escape were awake when the fire started those that died were sleeping.<br /> <br />The bodies have been taken to hospital for identification, while the search for the missing continues.
