Guyana school dormitory fire: Girl, 15, charged with 19 counts of murder
The fire at the Mahdia Secondary School began shortly after midnight.
A 15-year-old girl in Guyana, accused of deliberately setting a fire at a school dormitory on May 21 that killed 18 schoolmates and a five-year-old boy, was charged with 19 counts of murder. The teenager, who was charged as an adult, appeared virtually at the hearing in a court south of Guyana's capital city Georgetown and was ordered held in custody pending further court proceedings, AP news agency reported on Monday (May 29).
The defendant was not allowed to plead to the charges and will make a second court appearance on July 5 when state and defence lawyers will indicate if they are ready to start a preliminary trial. If found guilty, the defendant could face life in prison, the report said.
What happened on May 21?
The fire at the Mahdia Secondary School began shortly after midnight. Fourteen children died at the scene and the other five in hospital. Six injured children were airlifted to Georgetown and 17 others were admitted to a local hospital. The Fire Service said that the dormitory was completely engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived around midnight.
ALSO READ | 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 a 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 socialise 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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