Bangkok: A schoolgirl boarding-house in northern Thailand's Chiang Rai was burnt down late Sunday, killing 17 girls, injuring five others while two girls were missing, a local newspaper quoted police as reporting on Monday.

According to the Nation newspaper, the fire broke out at the boarding-house of Pithakkiart Witthaya School in Wiengpapao district at 11 p.m. Sunday. The girls who died in the fire were between five to 12 years old.