A secondary school girl in Guyana believed to have caused the death of 19 of her schoolmates and a five-year-old boy when she set the dormitory of the Mahdia Secondary School ablaze last Saturday, will be charged with murder.
According to reports, the girl was communicating with a man when the House Mother confiscated her cell phone. In her anger, she set fire to the dorm on Saturday night.
Assistance Police Assistant Commissioner of Police Wendell Blanhum said the department arrived at this decision following legal advice.
“Legal advice was obtained to charge the suspect with 19 counts of murder,” Head of the Criminal Investigations Department, Assistant Police Commissioner Wendell Blanhum said.
Earlier in the week, police had alleged that the girl who, government sources say was communicating with a man, started the fire after the dorm mother and a teacher seized her phone Saturday night.
The girl is over 14 and police in Guyana say she will be charged and tried as an adult although Guyana’s juvenile law prohibits the naming of accused or convicted children.
19 girls and a five-year-old boy died. The male was the son of the dorm mother, Adanye Jerome
The bodies are expected to be handed over to the families for burial soon.
The situation set shockwaves through the entire region.
Guyana President Irfaan Ali has promised a Commission of Inquiry into the fire.
Meanwhile, one of the two girls; a 13-year-old, who remains in critical condition after last week’s fire at the Mahdia Secondary School girls’ dormitory, was medevacked to the Northwell Health Burns Centre in New York on Saturday.
Since the fire last week, the badly burnt girl has been a patient at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s (GPHC) Intensive Care Unit (ICU) since May 22 and she underwent 2 surgeries.
Although her health has shown great signs of recovery, the government said the “transfer was deemed necessary out of an abundance of precaution and made in the best interest of the patient”.
The girl was accompanied aboard a Global Rescue Air Ambulance by her mother.
Father take the wheel in Guyana. What about the dorm mother and the negligence of the school authorities?
The Dorm Mother lost her son! I think she also paid a HIGH price for her culpability!!! However, there’s enough blame to go around! All of those who were complicit in this tragedy — whether due to negligence or otherwise — should face the full brunt of the law!!!
The criminal has been identified. Charges will be laid. Then trial. Enough of the blame game.
The authorities need to implement measures in all dorms and places that house it’s citizens.
Smoke alarms must be installed. Fire fighting equipment and other emergency procedures must be available.
Sprinkler systems must be in place.