At least 23 children have been killed in a fire at a boarding school in Liberia in the wee hours of Wednesday.

Monrovian police have said that Emergency services are at the scene, which is near the capital, Monrovia, and are looking for further bodies.

According to the information we have, the Children were sleeping in a building attached to a mosque when the fire started in the early hours of the morning.

In a tweet, President George Weah said a deadly fire had engulfed their school building in Paynesville and expressed his deepest condolences.

“My prayers go out to the families of the children that died last night in Paynesville City; as a result of a deadly fire that engulfed their school building. This is a tough time for the families of the victims and all of Liberia. Deepest condolences go out to the bereaved,” Wear lamented.

The number is expected to rise as police are looking for more bodies and the cause of the fire is not yet known.