image source, Presidency of Guyana
At least 19 children have died in a fire in the central Guyanese mining town of Mahdia, officials said.
The fire broke out after midnight on Monday, gutting a secondary school dormitory and trapping students.
Emergency services are struggling to contain the fire due to bad weather conditions, the government said.
Preliminary investigations suggest the fire was started maliciously, police said – although no suspects have yet been identified.
Earlier reports recorded the death toll as slightly higher, with at least 20 lives lost.
Several other people were injured and some are being prepared for evacuation in the capital, Georgetown, where a special center has been set up.
“It’s a big disaster. It’s terrible, it’s painful,” said Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.
Mr Ali was quoted by AFP as saying that, as well as medical teams stationed at the airport, Georgetown’s two main hospitals will be ready “so that every single child who needs attention is given the best possible chance to get that attention”.
Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn was at the scene of the disaster, and the prime minister and other government officials were on their way.
“It is with a heavy heart and pain that the cabinet is stressed and kept updated on a terrible dormitory fire in Mahdia. All efforts are being made to have a full-scale medical evacuation-supported response, ” the Public Department of the government said the information in a statement.
Guyana is located between Venezuela and Suriname on the northern coast of South America.
