NAIROBI, Kenya -- Officials began removing the bodies of children who burned to death in a school dormitory in central Kenya on Sunday as they tried to account for dozens of boys who are still missing.

Reporters were directed to wait outside the school grounds as a team, including funeral directors from the Nyeri provincial hospital, set up tables outside the dormitory on Saturday.

Eighteen boys between the ages of 10 and 14 are confirmed to have died, and 27 were hospitalized after the fire at Hillside Endarasha Primary school on Thursday night. However, 70 other students remain unaccounted for.

The country's president, William Ruto, has declared three days of national mourning. Law enforcement officials are investigating the cause of the blaze.

Worried parents who had been waiting for news about their children were finally permitted to view the remains of the dormitory on Friday evening. Some parents were overcome with emotion as they left the site.

The government has called on school administrators to strictly adhere to boarding regulations that require dormitories to be spacious, equipped with three exits, and windows without grills to allow for easy escape in case of fire.

Boarding school fires are frequent in Kenya, often ignited by arson fueled by drug misuse and overcrowding, according to a recent education ministry report. Many students choose to board because their parents believe it provides them with more time to study without lengthy commutes.

Some fires have been intentionally set by students during protests regarding the workload or living conditions. In 2017, 10 high school students perished in a school fire in Nairobi that was started by a student.

The deadliest school fire in Kenya's recent history occurred in 2001, when 67 students lost their lives in a dormitory fire in Machakos county.