In the early hours of Monday, a devastating fire engulfed a dormitory in Guyana, resulting in the tragic deaths of at least 19 students and leaving several others injured. The boarding school primarily served remote, predominantly Indigenous villages in the area.

President Irfaan Ali expressed deep sorrow and described the incident as horrific, tragic, and painful. He assured the public that the government was mobilizing all available resources to provide care and support to the affected children.

The fire erupted shortly before midnight in the dormitory building of a secondary school located in Mahdia, a town situated on the southwestern border, the Associated Press reports.

Mahdia is known for its gold and diamond mining activities and is approximately 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of the capital city, Georgetown, according to a statement released by the government.

Initially, authorities reported that 20 students had lost their lives, but the official count was later revised to 19 after doctors successfully revived a critically injured patient who was initially believed to have perished, as revealed by National Security Adviser Gerald Gouveia.

Written by staff