“It is horrible. It is painful,” President Irfaan Ali said late on Sunday.
The fire broke out in a secondary school in the gold-mining town of Mahdia in the Potaro-Siparuni district, 320km (200 miles) south of the capital, Georgetown.
“We have lost many beautiful souls in that fire,” the government said in the statement. “The death toll currently stands at 20 while several others received injuries.”
It began shortly after midnight at a school that serves children aged 12 through 18, according to National Security Adviser Gerald Gouveia.
Local newspaper Stabroek News reported that the fire broke out in a girls dormitory and bad weather was a challenge for those responding to the emergency by air.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips is leading a team of cabinet and other officials going to Mahdia while Minister of Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn is already on the ground.
Opposition member of parliament Natasha Singh-Lewis called for an in-depth investigation.
“We need to understand how this most horrific and deadly incident occurred and take all necessary measures to prevent such a tragedy from happening again in the future,” she said.The fire broke out in a secondary school in the gold-mining town of Mahdia in the Potaro-Siparuni district, 320km (200 miles) south of the capital, Georgetown.
“We have lost many beautiful souls in that fire,” the government said in the statement. “The death toll currently stands at 20 while several others received injuries.”
“Five planes have already taken off to Mahdia to support the regional health officials with additional medical supplies and medivacs,” it said.
The government said several students were being treated for injuries, and at least six of them were flown to the capital for treatment.The cause of Sunday’s fire has yet to be determined.
It began shortly after midnight at a school that serves mostly Indigenous children aged 12 through 18, according to National Security Adviser Gerald Gouveia.
Local newspaper Stabroek News reported that the fire broke out in a girls dormitory and bad weather was a challenge for those responding to the emergency by air.plane and medical personnel in Guyana evacuating injured students
Prime Minister Mark Phillips is leading a team of cabinet and other officials going to Mahdia while Minister of Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn is already on the ground.
Opposition member of parliament Natasha Singh-Lewis called for an in-depth investigation.
“We need to understand how this most horrific and deadly incident occurred and take all necessary measures to prevent such a tragedy from happening again in the future,” she said.
According to eyewitnesses, several children were unable to leave their rooms due to locks or chains on the outside, which also hampered the fire department from reaching them. PM Singh-Lewis vowed an investigation into this claim.By 0100 EST, privately owned aircraft began to depart Ogle airport to pick up dozens of burn victims. At 0200, Guyanese President Ali declared that all available air resources were being diverted to evacuate victims to Ogle where medical staff were ready to receive. A full-scale emergency plan of action was declared after at least 20 were confirmed killed and possibly two others still missing.
