2023 Mahdia school fire

Mahdia Secondary School is a secondary school in the gold-mining town of Mahdia in the Potaro-Siparuni region of Guyana. The school serves students aged 12 to 18. Fifty-nine girls usually lived in the dormitory where the fire happened, but three of them were at home when the fire broke out. The majority of alumni are of Amerindian descent. The school was of interest to the Guyanese government, having constructed the school to "bridge the gaps between the hinterland and coastal areas" and to better educate children in less developed parts of the country. The dorm was constructed out of concrete and wood, with five doors and grill windows. The dormitory's five doors were locked to keep students from sneaking out at night. ==Fire==

On May 21, 2023, a fire erupted at a female dormitory minutes before midnight local time. Firefighters rescued about 20 students by breaking holes through one of the walls. Heavy thunderstorms made it more difficult to fight the fire from the air and to fly injured children to other areas for treatment. The fire burned for three hours before it was controlled. == Victims ==

The initial death toll was 20, with 14 dying in the dormitory, On May 30, the girl who had been resuscitated died in a Georgetown hospital. The dorm administrator's five-year-old son was one of the victims who died in the dorm. Injured students were transported to the two major hospitals of the Guyanese capital, Georgetown. A critically injured 13-year-old girl was flown to New York on May 28 for treatment at Northwell Health's Regional Burn Center at Staten Island University Hospital. By May 30, she was in stable condition. == Accused ==

According to officials, the fire was caused by a 15-year-old student who was enraged after her mobile phone was confiscated. The girl allegedly made threats following disciplinary action for her involvement with an older man. The teenage suspect, who was hospitalized with burn injuries, confessed to the arson. After authorities sought guidance on whether to press charges against her, they eventually received advice to charge her with 19 counts of murder. On May 29, the girl was charged as an adult with 19 counts of murder. She appeared by video before a court in Georgetown; the court ordered that she be held at a juvenile holding centre until further proceedings take place. If she is found guilty, the suspect could be sentenced to life in prison. On July 5, the charges were amended to 20 counts of murder. ==Investigation==

A firefighter spokesperson indicated that the suspected point of origin was identified as being in the southwestern end of the building during a press conference the day after the fire. After their initial investigation was completed, the scene was to be turned over to the Mahdia police force for another investigation. ==Reactions==

President Irfaan Ali said "This is a major disaster. It is horrible, it is painful". He also declared three days of national mourning. The opposition alliance APNU+AFC said it would seek a thorough investigation and thanked people in the community for helping authorities rescue trapped children. Opposition lawmaker Natasha Singh-Lewis said "We need to understand how this most horrific and deadly incident occurred and take all necessary measures to prevent such a tragedy from happening again in the future". On May 22, 50 relatives and friends of the victims demonstrated in Chenapou, a village that is close to Mahdia. They criticized the dormitory's barred windows and demanded justice and compensation. ==References==