At least twenty people died, and seven were in critical condition after a devastating school dormitory fire in Guyana shortly before midnight on Sunday.
Local news reports said those who perished were females in the dormitory for girls.
‘This is a major disaster,” President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Al said in a statement to the Guyana Department of Public Information (DPI).
The blaze occurred at the Mahdia Secondary School, about 125 miles from the capital, Georgetown.
It prompted a full-scale response from emergency responders, including medical evacuation of the injured using five planes.
President Ali indicated that the full results of what occurred were unavailable.
But he said that was not the immediate focus.
“The focus now is on the children to ensure that we do everything, to give them as much help as we can, and that is what we’re doing right now,” Ali stated.
The Guyana President described the fire as horrific, tragic, and painful.
“This is a very difficult situation. And whatever it takes, we have to do it,” Ali declared.
