GEORGETOWN: Guyana’s fire department said on Monday that a school dormitory fire there left at least 20 young people dead and numerous more wounded.
According to a person who assisted the rescue services on condition of anonymity, the cause of the fire that broke out on Sunday in a dormitory housing girls ages 11 to 12 and 16 to 17 is still unknown.
The fire completely destroyed the structure.
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The fire department issued a statement that said, “Fourteen youths died at the scene, while five died at the Mahdia District Hospital.”
In the past, the government had claimed that the fire at the Mahdia Secondary School in central Guyana had claimed 20 lives.
Guyana, which has 800,000 people, is the sole English-speaking nation in South America.
Following the tragedy over the weekend, six critical patients were flown to Georgetown while more than a dozen youngsters got local hospital treatment.
The fire department said, “Four children are nursing severe injuries as a result of the incident, while two children remain in critical condition.”
“This is a serious catastrophe. On Sunday night, President Irfaan Ali declared, “It is awful and heartbreaking.
In Georgetown’s two main hospitals, Ali said that he had given the go-ahead for preparations “so that every single child who requires attention be given the best possible opportunity to get that attention.” Mahdia, which is 200 km south of Georgetown, has received private and military planes since the area is experiencing significant rain.
The administration announced that “five planes have already departed for Mahdia to support the regional health officials with additional medical supplies and medevac.” Three refugees were on at least one jet that made it back to Georgetown. “A full-scale medical emergency action plan has been launched,” it continued.
