At least 17 pupils have died after a school in central Kenya caught fire on Thursday night, police said.

There are fears that the death toll could rise as more than a dozen others have been taken to hospital with severe burns.

The cause of the fire at Hillside Endarasha Primary in Nyeri county is being investigated, police spokesperson Resila Onyango told local media.

A team of investigators has been deployed to the school, Ms Onyango added.

The Kenya Red Cross said it is providing psychosocial support services to the pupils, teachers and affected families, and has set up a tracing desk at the school.

School fires are relatively common in Kenyan boarding schools.

In 2017, 10 students died in an arson attack at Moi Girls High School in the capital Nairobi.

At least 67 students died in Machakos County, south-east of Nairobi, in the deadliest Kenyan school arson that took place more than 20 years ago.