At least 18 girls aged from 5 to 12 were killed overnight in Thailand’s northern province of Chiang Rai when a powerful blaze swept through a Christian school for girls from poor families. Some of those who survived had to tie cloth together to climb out of the window.

Suchada, a 11-year-old girl, identified only by her first name, told reporters that she had got up to go to the bathroom at night when she noticed the fire downstairs. The girl ran to warn her friends staying in various rooms, with each room housing seven or eight girls. Most of the victims closed the door on Suchada and had shut themselves in their rooms, thinking it was a hoax.

Read more: rt.com