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Major General (Ret’d), Joseph Singh to chair COI into deadly Mahdia dorms fire
Kaieteur News – Major General (Ret’d) Joseph Singh will soon chair the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the deadly Mahdia dormitory fire which claimed the lives of 20 young children back in May.
President Irfaan Ali
President Irfaan Ali made the announcement on Tuesday on the sidelines of an event. The President said he will be meeting with Singh and his team before the weekend.
“We are finalizing the TOR [Terms of Reference] right now. I have a meeting before the end of this week with the team. I can tell you I identified Major General (retired) Joe Singh to led that team; I have a meeting with him before the end of this week. I’m also having a meeting with the family members of the Mahdia fire to discuss some outstanding issue,” the President mentioned.
Major General (Ret’d) Joseph Singh
Following the fire, President Ali had signaled the government’s intention to establish a Commission of Inquiry (COI) to investigate the tragic fire at the Mahdia dormitory, which claimed the lives of 19 young girls and a 5-year-old boy.
During his Independence Day speech, he had said, “We are also committed to establishing a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the causes and circumstances of the fire which destroyed the dormitory and to inquire into related issues. This will be done soonest. The findings of that inquiry will inform the way forward”.
On the night of May 21, 2023, a fire swept through a heavily-grilled dormitory which housed students of the Mahdia Secondary School, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).
Deputy Fire Chief (ag) Dwayne Scotland on May 22, 2023 disclosed 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 May 23, 2024 that a female student of the Mahdia Secondary School reportedly started the fire because her cellular phone was taken away by the dorm mother, and a teacher. She was later charged and remanded to a Juvenile Holding Centre.
The 20 children who died as a result of the fire are, 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, Sherlyn Bellarmine, Eulander Carter, Andrea Roberts, Rita Jeffrey and Sherana Daniels.
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