The number of girls who died after a fire at a Guatemala children&#39;s shelter rose to 39 on Saturday, with several still in critical condition after one of the country&#39;s worst tragedies in recent years.

Authorities at the Roosevelt Hospital in the capital Guatemala City, said two girls died on Saturday from grave burn injuries from Wednesday&#39;s fire at the government-run shelter for abuse victims, young offenders and children with disabilities.

The case has been a scandal in Guatemala, especially after it emerged that the girls had been locked in a classroom after an escape attempt at the home. The girls set mattresses on fire to try to call someone&#39;s attention.

Thousands protested against the government in the streets of Guatemala City on Saturday, reading the names and ages of the dead girls.

(Reuters)

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Authorities at the Roosevelt Hospital in Guatemala City, said two girls died on Saturday from grave burn injuries from Wednesday's fire

The number of girls who died after a fire at a Guatemala children's shelter rose to 39 on Saturday, with several still in critical condition after one of the country's worst tragedies in recent years. Authorities at the Roosevelt Hospital in the capital Guatemala City, said two girls died on Saturday from grave burn injuries from Wednesday's fire at the government-run shelter for abuse victims, young offenders and children with disabilities. The case has been a scandal in Guatemala, especially after it emerged that the girls had been locked in a classroom after an escape attempt at the home. The girls set mattresses on fire to try to call someone's attention. Thousands protested against the government in the streets of Guatemala City on Saturday, reading the names and ages of the dead girls. (Reuters)

Death toll from fire at Guatemala home for abused children rises to 39

At least 34 girls were killed after a fire broke out at a government-run home for abused children in Guatemala.

The fire broke out in a tiny room the teenage girls were locked in to control them after a riot at the &nbsp;Virgen de Asuncion home in San Jose Pinula, authorities and witnesses said on Thursday, according to Reuters.

&quot;The staff left the girls in an extremely reduced space, a four-metre by four-metre room, for 52 teenage girls,&quot; Reuters quoted Claudia Lopez -- Guatemala&#39;s deputy ombudsman for human rights -- as saying. &quot;It was a terribly thought out decision.&quot;

The fire appeared to have been started by one of the girls, who set light to a mattress in the room, possibly as a protest after hours inside, police and witnesses said.

&quot;If it really was the girls who started the fire - why did they have matches in their hand, why were they not searched if they were going to be locked into this tiny space?&quot; Lopez said.

The shelter for youths takes in abandoned children and ex-offenders as well as victims of abuse and trafficking up to the age of 18.

Years of problems at the home boiled over at lunchtime on Tuesday when a group of teenagers complaining about the conditions inside feigned a fight in the lunch hall as a distraction, before attacking staff and trying to escape, one eyewitness told Reuters.

After hours of rioting, police captured most of those who had fled and they were separated from the hundreds of other residents in the complex, according to an account written by the government&#39;s human rights department and seen by Reuters.

During five hours of negotiations that evening, the leaders of the rebellion alleged abuse by the staff including rotten food and the use of bleach on their skin and pepper spray as punishment for bad behaviour, according to the document.

The Virgen de Asuncion home has long suffered from overcrowding, with Guatemalan media reporting that more than 500 people were crammed into the centre designed to house 400.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The girls had been locked in a tiny room to control them after a riot at the home

At least 34 girls were killed after a fire broke out at a government-run home for abused children in Guatemala. The fire broke out in a tiny room the teenage girls were locked in to control them after a riot at the Virgen de Asuncion home in San Jose Pinula, authorities and witnesses said on Thursday, according to Reuters. "The staff left the girls in an extremely reduced space, a four-metre by four-metre room, for 52 teenage girls," Reuters quoted Claudia Lopez -- Guatemala's deputy ombudsman for human rights -- as saying. "It was a terribly thought out decision." The fire appeared to have been started by one of the girls, who set light to a mattress in the room, possibly as a protest after hours inside, police and witnesses said. "If it really was the girls who started the fire - why did they have matches in their hand, why were they not searched if they were going to be locked into this tiny space?" Lopez said. The shelter for youths takes in abandoned children and ex-offenders as well as victims of abuse and trafficking up to the age of 18. Years of problems at the home boiled over at lunchtime on Tuesday when a group of teenagers complaining about the conditions inside feigned a fight in the lunch hall as a distraction, before attacking staff and trying to escape, one eyewitness told Reuters. After hours of rioting, police captured most of those who had fled and they were separated from the hundreds of other residents in the complex, according to an account written by the government's human rights department and seen by Reuters. During five hours of negotiations that evening, the leaders of the rebellion alleged abuse by the staff including rotten food and the use of bleach on their skin and pepper spray as punishment for bad behaviour, according to the document. The Virgen de Asuncion home has long suffered from overcrowding, with Guatemalan media reporting that more than 500 people were crammed into the centre designed to house 400. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Fire at Guatemala home for abused children kills 34, girls were locked in room

A fire that raged in a home for abused children in Guatemala killed at least 35 people, mostly girls, and doctors on Thursday described their shock at the severity of the burns suffered by two dozen more hospitalised victims.

&quot;I&#39;ve been doing this for 29 years. What I saw yesterday was a scene from Dante,&quot; said Juan Antonio Villeda, director of the San Juan de Dios hospital, where victims with extremely serious burns were being treated. Villeda was alluding to the 14th-century poem The Inferno by Italian author Dante Alighieri that depicts punishments suffered in Hell.

The fire broke out on Wednesday in a wing of the government-run Virgen de la Asuncion home near San Jose Pinula, 25 km (15 miles) south-west of Guatemala City, as some residents allegedly set mattresses ablaze after an escape attempt the night before.

Investigators at the centre for youths aged up to 18 were trying to determine whether the fire was started by a group that authorities had isolated after the escape bid.

Guatemala has Latin America&#39;s worst rates of child malnutrition and street gangs like the Mara Salvatrucha prey on minors, making it an often dangerous place to grow up. The Central American nation&#39;s public institutions are underfunded, racked by corruption and widespread overcrowding.

Criticism is mounting about conditions in the home, which housed boys as well as girls, and Guatemala&#39;s President Jimmy Morales said the country needed to put a stop to such tragedies.

&quot;It&#39;s obvious that our system must be thoroughly and decisively reformed,&quot; Morales told a news conference.

The Virgen de la Asuncion home has been closed for now and the young people there rehoused elsewhere, the president said.

Morales&#39; spokesman Heinz Heimann said victims of abuse were mixed in with juvenile offenders in what he criticised as open living arrangements. Parents alleged abuse at the centre, including rape, and said gangs operated there.

More than 500 minors were living in the facility, located in a wooded area outside San Jose Pinula, although Guatemalan media said its capacity was 400.

Doctors announced eight deaths overnight of residents of the home who had been treated for injuries at hospitals in Guatemala City&nbsp;and said some 15 more were in critical condition.

&quot;In my 13-year career, I have never seen injuries like this. It is tragic,&quot; said Carlos Soto, director of the Roosevelt Hospital, describing severe burns to their lungs, throats and skin.

(Reuters)

'What I saw yesterday was a scene from Dante,' said the director of the hospital where the victims were being treated

A fire that raged in a home for abused children in Guatemala killed at least 35 people, mostly girls, and doctors on Thursday described their shock at the severity of the burns suffered by two dozen more hospitalised victims. "I've been doing this for 29 years. What I saw yesterday was a scene from Dante," said Juan Antonio Villeda, director of the San Juan de Dios hospital, where victims with extremely serious burns were being treated. Villeda was alluding to the 14th-century poem The Inferno by Italian author Dante Alighieri that depicts punishments suffered in Hell. The fire broke out on Wednesday in a wing of the government-run Virgen de la Asuncion home near San Jose Pinula, 25 km (15 miles) south-west of Guatemala City, as some residents allegedly set mattresses ablaze after an escape attempt the night before. Investigators at the centre for youths aged up to 18 were trying to determine whether the fire was started by a group that authorities had isolated after the escape bid. Guatemala has Latin America's worst rates of child malnutrition and street gangs like the Mara Salvatrucha prey on minors, making it an often dangerous place to grow up. The Central American nation's public institutions are underfunded, racked by corruption and widespread overcrowding. Criticism is mounting about conditions in the home, which housed boys as well as girls, and Guatemala's President Jimmy Morales said the country needed to put a stop to such tragedies. "It's obvious that our system must be thoroughly and decisively reformed," Morales told a news conference. The Virgen de la Asuncion home has been closed for now and the young people there rehoused elsewhere, the president said. Morales' spokesman Heinz Heimann said victims of abuse were mixed in with juvenile offenders in what he criticised as open living arrangements. Parents alleged abuse at the centre, including rape, and said gangs operated there. More than 500 minors were living in the facility, located in a wooded area outside San Jose Pinula, although Guatemalan media said its capacity was 400. Doctors announced eight deaths overnight of residents of the home who had been treated for injuries at hospitals in Guatemala City and said some 15 more were in critical condition. "In my 13-year career, I have never seen injuries like this. It is tragic," said Carlos Soto, director of the Roosevelt Hospital, describing severe burns to their lungs, throats and skin. (Reuters)

Fire at Guatemala home for abused children kills 35

At least 19 teeange girls died after a shelter home in Guatemala caught fire during a fight between the inmates and the staff accused of sexual abuse and other maltreatment.

The victims were between the age of 14 and 17.&nbsp;

Another 25 people suffered burns, according to the firefighting service. The injured were taken to hospitals in Guatemala city.

The fire engulfed the facility when some of the inmates set ablaze a mattress,&nbsp;said Abner Paredes, a prosecutor defending children&#39;s rights.

The fire broke out in the adolescent female wing of the state-run Virgin of the Assumption Safe Home.&nbsp;

The facility, built in 2006, is located in San Jose Pinula, a village 10 kilometers (six miles) east of the capital Guatemala City.

A former employee of the facility, Angel Cardenas, said the packed centre was a ticking time bomb and the tragedy was something that &quot;was to be expected&quot;.

The facility was designed to have 400 inmates but was home to nearly double that number.

At the entrance of the facility, whose imposing, barbed wire-topped concrete wall showed no sign of the drama inside, crying relatives crowded the entrance in search of news of the children kept there. Police blocked access to them and to journalists.

A few survivors were seen hugging kin on the pine tree-lined road. But many other family members were left with no news.

&quot;They don&#39;t want to give any information at all,&quot; stormed Rosa Aguirre, a 22-year-old street vendor who had rushed from the capital to see if her two sisters, aged 13 and 15, and her 17-year-old brother were among the casualties.

She said many frustrated people had gone to the hospitals to see if their relatives were there.

Aguirre said she, too, had lodged complaints about how the center&#39;s charges were treated, but received no attention.&nbsp;

She said brawls broke out often, and her brother was sometimes put in a dark isolation cell nicknamed the &quot;chicken coop.&quot; She said she had tried in vain to be given custody of her siblings after their mother&#39;s death four months ago.

Guatemalan media said the shelters&#39; occupants had revolted overnight and into Wednesday against alleged sexual abuse by staff, and over poor food and conditions.

The United Nations children&#39;s fund UNICEF called the fire and the deaths a &quot;tragedy.&quot; It added in a Twitter post that &quot;these children and adolescents must be protected.&quot;

The center, supervised by state authorities, hosts minors under age 18 who are victims of domestic violence or found living on the street.&nbsp;

They are sent there by court order and are under the responsibility of the social welfare ministry.

The shelter has been the target of multiple complaints alleging abuse. Dozens of children have run away in the past year, reportedly to escape ill treatment inside.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The children's shelter was engulfed in fire following an overnight rebellion against staff accused of sexual abuse

At least 19 teeange girls died after a shelter home in Guatemala caught fire during a fight between the inmates and the staff accused of sexual abuse and other maltreatment. The victims were between the age of 14 and 17. Another 25 people suffered burns, according to the firefighting service. The injured were taken to hospitals in Guatemala city. The fire engulfed the facility when some of the inmates set ablaze a mattress, said Abner Paredes, a prosecutor defending children's rights. The fire broke out in the adolescent female wing of the state-run Virgin of the Assumption Safe Home. The facility, built in 2006, is located in San Jose Pinula, a village 10 kilometers (six miles) east of the capital Guatemala City. A former employee of the facility, Angel Cardenas, said the packed centre was a ticking time bomb and the tragedy was something that "was to be expected". The facility was designed to have 400 inmates but was home to nearly double that number. At the entrance of the facility, whose imposing, barbed wire-topped concrete wall showed no sign of the drama inside, crying relatives crowded the entrance in search of news of the children kept there. Police blocked access to them and to journalists. A few survivors were seen hugging kin on the pine tree-lined road. But many other family members were left with no news. "They don't want to give any information at all," stormed Rosa Aguirre, a 22-year-old street vendor who had rushed from the capital to see if her two sisters, aged 13 and 15, and her 17-year-old brother were among the casualties. She said many frustrated people had gone to the hospitals to see if their relatives were there. Aguirre said she, too, had lodged complaints about how the center's charges were treated, but received no attention. She said brawls broke out often, and her brother was sometimes put in a dark isolation cell nicknamed the "chicken coop." She said she had tried in vain to be given custody of her siblings after their mother's death four months ago. Guatemalan media said the shelters' occupants had revolted overnight and into Wednesday against alleged sexual abuse by staff, and over poor food and conditions. The United Nations children's fund UNICEF called the fire and the deaths a "tragedy." It added in a Twitter post that "these children and adolescents must be protected." The center, supervised by state authorities, hosts minors under age 18 who are victims of domestic violence or found living on the street. They are sent there by court order and are under the responsibility of the social welfare ministry. The shelter has been the target of multiple complaints alleging abuse. Dozens of children have run away in the past year, reportedly to escape ill treatment inside. (WION with inputs from AFP)

At least 20 girls die in overcrowded Guatemala shelter blaze

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Death toll from fire at Guatemala home for abused children rises to 39

Fire at Guatemala home for abused children kills 34, girls were locked in room

Fire at Guatemala home for abused children kills 35

At least 20 girls die in overcrowded Guatemala shelter blaze