Malaysia probes foul play in deadly school fire as anger mounts

Kuala Lumpur : Malaysian authorities said Friday they had not ruled out foul play in a fire that killed 23 children and teachers in an Islamic school, as calls mounted for better safety regulations at religious study centres.

The fire broke out in the boarding school in downtown Kuala Lumpur before dawn Thursday. Firefighters extinguished the blaze within an hour, but not before it had gutted the centre's top-floor dormitory.

Horrific accounts emerged of students screaming in desperation because they were unable to escape the inferno as the dormitory's only door was on fire and metal security grilles barred the windows.

Rescuers found the bodies of 21 schoolboys and two teachers in piles, indicating there may have been a stampede as the students sought to escape the inferno.

As medics finished identifying the badly-burnt bodies using DNA tests, graves were being dug at a graveyard outside Kuala Lumpur where some of the victims were expected to be buried later Friday.

The fire and rescue department initially said they believed the blaze -- the worst in Malaysia for two decades -- was caused by an electrical short circuit or a mosquito-repelling device.

But Khirudin Drahman, director of Kuala Lumpur's fire and rescue department, told AFP that authorities were now investigating claims gas cylinders could have played a role.

One of the survivors said two cylinders were left by the dormitory door and had caught fire, preventing those inside from leaving.

"We have not ruled out foul play," Khirudin said, adding that fires in dormitories were typically caused by unattended cooking or mosquito coils.

"The forensic team is doing the laboratory tests. We want to wrap up the results as soon as possible."