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A better equipped facility would not have delivered a different result’ – Chairman COI into Mahdia dorms fire
Chairman of the Commission, Major General (Ret’d) Joe Singh
Kaieteur News – Chairman of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (COI), tasked with investigating the tragic fire at the Mahdia Secondary School’s female dormitory on Friday disclosed that despite several inadequacies on which the dormitory was afflicted for the purposes of fire prevention “we found that a better equipped facility would not have delivered a different result having regard to the cause of the fire and the speed with which it became an inferno.”
The Chairman, Major General (Ret’d) Joe Singh presented the findings of the Commission to President Irfaan Ali on Friday afternoon.
The fire, which occurred on May 21, 2023, claimed the lives of 19 girls and a 5-year-old boy. A 15-year-old girl is currently facing 20 murder charges in connection with the incident.
During his report presentation, Major General (Ret’d) Singh said that after reviewing the testimonies of 29 witnesses, the Commission concluded that the fire was intentionally set.
Some of the children who were killed in the Mahdia Secondary School female dormitory fire
Some of the Commission’s findings pointed to the delay in alerting the Mahdia Fire Station, issues encountered by the firefighters en route to the dormitory, inadequacies of the fire and rescue team equipment and the lack of water supply.
Notably, the Chairman said that even though there were five un-grilled doors providing entry and exit to the dormitory, it failed to impact the outcome of the fire due to the magnitude of the inferno. “This was accompanied with the human failure to access the keys in those chaotic and fiery circumstances,” the Chairman added.
Also in his summary, the Chairman said, “The influence of the mining culture in social relationships within communities, the vulnerability of youth, particularly teenage female students, the influence of adults in the mining sector, who groom young females in some cases with the tacit support of family members who benefit financially from such arrangements and the negligence of particular officials and fire readiness, and in the education sector and psychosocial services to deal condignly with deviant behaviour.”
Despite identifying inadequacies in the fire prevention measures, Major Singh emphasized that even with a better-equipped facility; the tragic outcome might not have changed given the intentional nature of the fire and its rapid spread.
However, Major Singh noted that despite the difficulties, the firefighters managed to save 14 children who were trapped.
In August 2023, President Ali appointed Major Singh as the Chairman of the Commission, with Attorney-at-Law Joycelin Kim Kyte-Thomas and Chairman of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Derrick John as the other members and Javed Shaddick as the Secretary of the COI.
The Presidential hearings commenced on September 15 and concluded on November 10, 2023. During that period, they did two site visits to Mahdia to gather evidence. While there, they spoke to residents in various communities in Region Eight.
“In our report we recommended measures on actions that should be considered in addressing these root causes…it is our hope that the report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry will be an instrument necessary in ensuring that there will be no recurrence of such a tragedy,” the Chairman said.
Moreover, there was also a recommendation for a memorial site at the dormitory for the children who lost their lives in the inferno. Those killed 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, Eulanda Carter, Andrea Roberts, Rita Jeffrey and Sherana Daniels.
“I want to assure the Commission, your recommendations, your output here is critically integrated already but wherever there is still room for further integration of your recommendation… We are going to continue to do all we can… all of this, of course, will help us to build stronger systems,” President Ali said on Friday after collecting the report.
Moreover, President Ali also disclosed that the government is already working on a memorial for the 20 children who lost their lives.
- Chairman of the Commission, Commission, fire, Mahdia tragedy, Major General (Ret’d) Joe Singh, President Ali
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