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Friend of Mahdia fire victim hospitalised
Kaieteur News – A fourteen-year-old boy, who is a friend of a Mahdia fire victim, is currently hospitalised in Georgetown after reportedly consuming a poisonous substance.
Citizens from across the country pay tribute to the 19 children who were killed in a fire at Mahdia on Sunday.
Confirming the reports with Kaieteur News yesterday was the Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Eight, Mr. Peter Ramotar, who shared that the child was admitted at the Mahdia District Hospital in a stable condition receiving treatment. Mr. Ramotar could not say when the teen ingested the poison but mentioned that information reaching him is that the hospital is making preparation for the child to be medevaced to Georgetown for further treatment.
Kaieteur News understands that the teen is not a student of the male dormitory, but from another community in the area. The matter is under investigation. In a press briefing on Thursday afternoon, National Security Advisor Captain Gerry Gouveia said that the child has been brought to the city for treatment. He shared also that a plane had just landed in Mahdia for an additional six children who are experiencing suicidal thoughts following the devastating fire to be flown to the city.
This publication had reported that nineteen children – 18 of them school girls and one 5-year-old boy died Sunday night when fire swept through a heavily-grilled dormitory which housed students of the Mahdia Secondary School, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni)
Information reaching this publication revealed that of the 19 children, 14 children died at the scene, while five died at the Mahdia District Hospital. Among the casualties were twin sisters. The names of the children who died on Sunday are as follow: Adonijah Jerome, Tracil Thomas, Lisa Roberts, Delecia Edwards, Lorita Williams, Natalie Bellarmine, Arriana Edwards, Cleoma Simon, Subrina John, Martha D’Andrade, (and twin) Mary D’Andrade, Belnisa Evans, Loreen Evans, Omerfia Edwin, Nickleen Robinson, Sherena Daniel, Eulander Carter, Andrea Roberts, and Rita Jeffrey.
In a press briefing on Monday afternoon, Deputy Fire Chief (ag) Dwayne Scotland confirmed that the fire which took approximately three and a half hours to be extinguished, was maliciously set. It was confirmed by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Tuesday that a female student of the Mahdia Secondary School reportedly started the fire. The police in their report said investigations so far revealed that a female student is suspected of having set the devastating fire because her cellular phone was taken away by the dorm mother, Carletta Williams, and a teacher.
The Ministry of Health in a press statement said that as of Thursday there is no child from the dorm still admitted to the Mahdia District Hospital. The Ministry shared that twelve girls, however, remained patients at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
There are three (out of twelve children) admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at GPHC, and nine is in the Pediatric High Dependency Unit (PHDU), while two are still critical in the ICU, the others are listed as stable. Their conditions are improving and discharges for some are possible in the shortest possible time, the Minister noted.
In addition, after arriving in Mahdia, the Ministry reported that the President requested that 11 children who had gone home without seeing a doctor be medically assessed. These children arrived in Georgetown at about 15:00hrs on Wednesday. They are presently being assessed by the special team in the ER of GPHC assigned to see all the children from Mahdia.
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