Detectives in the Mahdia district are probing a devastating fire of so-far unknown origin, which destroyed the Mahdia Secondary School’s Female Dormitory, killing 19 students and injuring several others, some in critical condition.
The Guyana Police Force said, “At the time of the fire, sixty-three (63) female students were reportedly in the dormitory. Reports are that 19 students died in the fire: (14 students died inside the building, four died at the Mahdia District Hospital, and one died on the way to Georgetown).”
According to one of the female students who managed to escape, she was awakened by screams and upon checking, she saw a fire in the bathroom area, which quickly spread to other parts of the building.
Commander of the Region, Senior Superintendent Khalid Mandall, along with a Police team and members of the Guyana Fire Service and others from the Joint Services, are on location as investigations continue.
A high-level team of Government officials led by Prime Minister Mark Philips and several Ministers are currently in Mahdia as Guyana mourns the heart-wrenching loss of the students. In the wee hours of Monday morning, fire broke out in the dormitory of the Mahdia Secondary School, killing 19 students, including one boy who was the son of the dorm master. The incident has thrown the town of Mahdia into a state of mourning.
