GEORGETOWN — A fireplace in a college dormitory in Guyana that killed 19 youngsters was lit by a scholar after faculty authorities confiscated her cellular phone, police mentioned on Tuesday.
The youngsters, principally Indigenous women, died round midnight on Monday, most on the scene.
“A female student is suspected of having set the devastating fire because her cellular phone was taken away by the dorm’s mother and a teacher,” police mentioned in a press release.
David Adams, the mayor of Mahdia, the city the place the college is positioned, earlier confirmed the scholar’s alleged involvement to Reuters and mentioned she was not injured within the fireplace.
He added he couldn’t verify whether or not the scholar was in authorities custody. The police assertion didn’t point out an arrest.
Some college students informed investigators they have been woke up by screams and noticed fireplace and smoke within the dorm’s toilet space, police mentioned.
The authorities pathologist who carried out post-mortems on six our bodies late on Monday listed their reason for loss of life as smoke inhalation and burns, police added.
Thirteen units of stays had been moved to the capital Georgetown for DNA identification. Nearly 30 different youngsters have been hospitalized.
Minister of Education Priya Manickchand earlier declined to debate the scholar’s alleged involvement.
Asked about allegations that the dormitory was not outfitted with a contemporary fireplace alarm system and that college students weren’t educated in fireplace drills, Manickchand informed Reuters “all of that is under investigation and a report will be issued once that is done. What must come of this is improvement across the sector.”
Burn specialists, psychiatrists and different medical employees have been attending to injured youngsters and their households, she added.
The youngest of the fatalities was the five-year-old son of the dormitory’s caretaker. All different victims have been women, and included a number of siblings and not less than one set of twins.
President Irfaan Ali met with some dad and mom of the lifeless on Monday after visiting Mahdia’s hospital, and declared three days of nationwide mourning. —Reuters
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
