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

At least 20&nbsp;teenage girls died in a fire in an overcrowded Guatemala shelter for children under government care, following an overnight rebellion against staff accused of sexual abuse and other maltreatment. All those killed were aged between 14 and 17.

&quot;For the moment we have confirmation of 19 girls killed,&quot; the secretary general of the public ministry, Mayra Veliz, told reporters yesterday. The number of casualties has since increased by at least one.

Seventeen of the bodies were charred. The condition of the other two victims was unknown. &quot;We haven&#39;t yet processed all of the scene,&quot; Veliz said.

Another 25 people were injured, suffering first-, second- and third-degree burns, according to the firefighting service. They were taken to hospitals in Guatemala City.

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 kilometres east of the capital Guatemala City.

The blaze was believed to have started during disturbances in the packed centre, which holds nearly double the 400 people it was designed to house.

&quot;They were serving food to the teenagers when some of them started a fire in a mattress and that&#39;s how the fire was set,&quot; said Abner Paredes, a prosecutor defending children&#39;s rights. &quot;It was a ticking time bomb. This was to be expected,&quot; one of the center&#39;s former employees, Angel Cardenas, said outside.

He said he had lodged several warnings about conditions inside. 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.

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.

(AFP)&nbsp;

The fire broke out in an overcrowded, government shelter for children following accusations against staff of sexual abuse

At least 20 teenage girls died in a fire in an overcrowded Guatemala shelter for children under government care, following an overnight rebellion against staff accused of sexual abuse and other maltreatment. All those killed were aged between 14 and 17. "For the moment we have confirmation of 19 girls killed," the secretary general of the public ministry, Mayra Veliz, told reporters yesterday. The number of casualties has since increased by at least one. Seventeen of the bodies were charred. The condition of the other two victims was unknown. "We haven't yet processed all of the scene," Veliz said. Another 25 people were injured, suffering first-, second- and third-degree burns, according to the firefighting service. They were taken to hospitals in Guatemala City. 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 kilometres east of the capital Guatemala City. The blaze was believed to have started during disturbances in the packed centre, which holds nearly double the 400 people it was designed to house. "They were serving food to the teenagers when some of them started a fire in a mattress and that's how the fire was set," said Abner Paredes, a prosecutor defending children's rights. "It was a ticking time bomb. This was to be expected," one of the center's former employees, Angel Cardenas, said outside. He said he had lodged several warnings about conditions inside. 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. (AFP)

At least 20 teenage girls die in Guatemala shelter blaze