YANGON
A fire in an Islamic school left 13 children dead in Yangon, Myanmar's capital, on Tuesday.
Muslims blame Buddhists for the fire that came aftermath of a wave of violence against Muslims in Buddhist majority country, although officials say fire might have caused by a short circuit.
Local sources said that the children were all boys and got killed due to suffocation.
The fire broke out in the dormitory which was a part of a complex of buildings adjacent to a mosque in eastern Yangon. There were about 75 children in the building. The ones sleeping in the ground floor had a chance to escape and 3 of them jumped out of the first floor window.
Muslims who were suspicious about the cause of the fire gathered in front of the building where police officials have taken intensive security measures.
Meanwhile New York-based Human Rights Watch on Monday called on the Myanmar administration to stop violence against Muslim communities in the country and released the satellite photos of the districts where Muslims reside, that were all destroyed during the latest attacks against Muslims.
"The Burmese government should thoroughly investigate and hold accountable those who incited and committed deadly violence in Meiktila in central Burma from March 20 to 22, 2013. Decisive government action to combat impunity, end discrimination, and promote tolerance among religious groups is needed to end the tide of attacks against Muslim communities," said the statement.
On March 20-22, more than 40 Muslims got killed and 12,000 people had to leave their houses in Muslim majority Meiktila.
Writing by Esra Kirecci
Editing by Metin Semiz
