A massive inferno in Guyana has led to the deaths of 19 young individuals, including a five-year-old boy, while injuring several others.
The tragic incident occurred on Sunday, May 21, at Mahdia Secondary School, where a dormitory allegedly was set ablaze intentionally by a 14-year-old student, and claimed the lives of 19 youngsters. The student had her phone confiscated due to her illicit relationship with an older man.
The teenager, who reportedly threatened to ignite the dormitory after her phone was seized, is the prime suspect in the arson. She sustained injuries in the fire and will be relocated to a juvenile detention center upon her hospital discharge, according to Gerald Gouveia, the National Security Adviser.
The intensity of the fire and the locked doors and barred windows of the dormitory trapped most victims, preventing their escape. Gouveia explained that the dormitory was locked by its supervisor to stop the girls from night-time socializing. The supervisor, who managed to escape the fire, failed to unlock the doors in the panic.
Awoken by the cries of the girls trying to escape the engulfed building, the neighboring residents witnessed the horrific event.
Primarily Indigenous girls from remote communities near Mahdia, a mining town bordering Brazil, comprised the majority of the victims. The casualties also included the son of the dormitory supervisor. The high-intensity fire severely burned 13 victims, complicating their identification. Guyana has welcomed forensic aid from the United States and other countries for DNA identification.
As the investigation unfolds, authorities plan to press charges against the teenage suspect and the older man involved in the illicit affair, potentially for statutory rape, according to Gouveia. Guidance from the Director of Public Prosecutions will be sought by the Guyana Police Force throughout the investigation.
