Teenagers among 24 killed in fire at school in Kuala Lumpur

A fire has killed 24 people, mostly teenagers, trapped behind barred windows and a blocked exit in an Islamic school dormitory on the outskirts of Malaysia's capital, officials said.

Firefighters rushed to the scene after receiving a distress call at 5.41am local time and took an hour to put out the blaze, which started on the top floor of the three-story building, Kuala Lumpur police chief Amar Singh said. He said there were at least 24 bodies, 22 of them boys between 13 and 17, and two teachers.