A fireplace in the central Guyana mining town of Mahdia claimed the lives of at least 19 children, based on officials. The blaze erupted simply after midnight on Monday, engulfing a secondary college dormitory and trapping students inside.
Emergency services are dealing with difficulties in containing the fire due to opposed climate situations, as acknowledged by the federal government. Early investigations by the police point out that the fireplace may have been began intentionally, although no suspects have been identified but. Prior stories had indicated a slightly higher dying toll, with a minimal of 20 lives lost.
Several people have been injured, and preparations are being made to evacuate some to the capital, Georgetown, where a particular centre has been established. Guyanese President Irfaan Ali expressed his grief.
“This is a major catastrophe. It is horrible, it is painful.”
Ali was quoted by AFP as saying that Georgetown’s two major hospitals can be prepared, together with medical teams stationed at the airport, “so that each single youngster who requires attention be given the absolute best alternative to get that focus.”
Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn is presently on the scene of the disaster, with the prime minister and other authorities officials en route, reported BBC News.
The government’s Department of Public Information launched an announcement. It said…
“It is with a heavy heart and ache that the Cabinet is being briefed and stored updated on a horrific fireplace on the dormitory in Mahdia. Covert are being made to have a full-scale medical evacuation-supported response.”