At least 20 children die in a fire at a school in Guyana

At least 20 students died and several were injured early Monday morning in a fire at a school residence in Guyana, according to authorities.

The fire occurred in the residential building of a secondary school in the city of Madhia, 322 kilometers south of Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, the government said in a statement.

“We have lost many beautiful souls in that fire,” the government said.

President Irfaan Ali described the incident as “a horrifying incident.”

“It is tragic, it is painful,” he said, adding that his government is mobilizing resources to help children.

It was reported that several students were being treated for their injuries and that at least six were taken to the capital for treatment.

Ali stated that the authorities are contacting the parents and mobilizing psychologists to help those affected.

“I can’t imagine the pain the parents are going through right now,” he added. “This is a major disaster.”

The fire started shortly after midnight at the school, which instructs mainly indigenous children between the ages of 12 and 18, according to security adviser Gerald Gouveia, who said it was too early to speculate on the causes of the fire and that storms in the area were preventing the response from the air.

“It was a battle for us,” he said. “The pilots were very brave, they were very determined.”

He added that the government and rescue teams “made a gigantic effort” to save as many people as possible.

The local newspaper Stabroek News reported that the fire had occurred in a girls’ dormitory.

Opposition MP Natasha Singh-Lewis called for a full investigation.

“We need to understand how this horrifying and deadly incident happened and take all necessary steps to prevent such a tragedy from happening again in the future,” he said.

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