Mahdia tragedy: Seven survivors discharged from GPHC

Seven of the 19 girls who were air-dashed to the Georgetown Public Hospital after they were injured in the horrific fire at the Mahdia Secondary School female dormitory in Region Eight have been discharged.

The News Room was on Wednesday reliably informed that the seven girls are in good condition and all of them are receiving counseling.

Nine girls were brought to the city on Monday and 10 more arrived on Tuesday. One of them received a limb-saving surgery required due to the burns she sustained and another girl is in critical but stable condition.

A total of 12 girls are currently admitted at the hospital. The parents of some of the girls were also brought to the city to comfort their children at this time.

The devastating fire started after 23:00 hrs on Sunday night and continued into the wee hours of Monday morning. Authorities have confirmed that 18 girls and one boy died in the fire. The girls were students while the boy, 5, was the son of the caretakers of the dormitory. Investigators also found that the fire was maliciously set by another student.

The Guyana Fire Service has confirmed that the building had 26 windows and five doors. But the escape of the 56 students was curtailed because the windows were heavily grilled and the five doors were locked, with the house mother having the keys.

She rushed to get the doors open and eventually, 38 of the students were rescued after firefighters broke holes in the north-eastern wall of the building.

The school housed girls from Mahdia, Campbelltown, Micobie, El Paso and several other villages in the North Pakaraimas in Region Eight.

A mental health team comprising stakeholders from various government ministries and agencies has been mobilised to provide support to students, parents and other persons affected by the tragic fire.