The number of children killed in a school fire in Guyana has risen to 20

Guyana’s Ministry of Health reported this on Tuesday increased the number of dead children to 20 in the fire that engulfed the dormitory of the state boarding school on the night of May 21, after the death of a minor admitted to the hospital was confirmed.

Sherena Daniels, 14, died in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) from respiratory injuries as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, as well as a heart attack. Daniels was the first child victim of the Mahdia fire to be airlifted to Georgetown. Before mobilization, she was in critical condition and her condition did not improve in the hospital.”it is stated in the press release of the Ministry of Health and GPHC.

Daniels’ sister expressed the family’s deep pain at this time and said they hope the teenager recovers. The 15-year-old student was charged on Monday with a total of 19 murders. and remanded in custody after appearing in court in Guyana over the Mahdia High School incident.

According to the police report, it is suspected that the student started the fire because her cell phone was taken from her. 19 girls, who were staying in the student dormitory, and a five-year-old boy, the son of one of the school’s janitors, died in the fire.

The educational center, which was heavily protected against theft, which made evacuation difficult, it mainly served students from indigenous peoples outside Mahdia. Since there are no high schools in many mountain communities, some students who want to pursue higher education attend Mahdia High School.