Guyana school dormitory fire: Teenage girl charged with 19 counts of murder
Guyana school dorm fire that killed 19 was set off by girl over cell phone confiscation: Official
The police said that most of the 19 children who died were Indigenous, and the dorm usually housed students from Indigenous communities. The youngest victim was the five-year-old boy, the son of the dormitory's caretaker. Earlier, President Irfaan Ali met with some parents of the deceased students and said the families were being provided with counselling and other support.
"There are no words that can describe this magnitude of pain that our brothers and sisters are going through. This is a pain we must carry as a nation and as a family," President Ali said.
On Monday, Guyana's Education Minister Priya Manickchand said that the dormitory's fire alarm system and school fire drills were under investigation.
Girl ignited blaze over confiscation of phone
Investigators alleged that the 15-year-old girl ignited the blaze at the school dormitory in anger with the administrator over the confiscation of her mobile phone. At the time of the fire, all five doors of the building were locked with keys from inside. National Security Advisor Gerald Gouveia said the dorm administrator locked all the doors to prevent the female students aged 12-18 from sneaking out to socialize in the mining town with adult males. She panicked and fumbled with the keys as the blaze spread.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Tuesday, May 30, 2023 at 9:09 am