At least 19 children die in Guyana boarding school fire

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Flames engulfed a girls’ dormitory shortly after midnight on Monday in the city of Mahdia in central Guyana. Fourteen children died at the scene and five others died at a local hospital, officials said. Firefighters rescued dozens of students from the building and emergency workers airlifted six students for treatment in the capital of Georgetown, on South America’s Caribbean coast. Police on Monday were still investigating the cause of the fire.

Where were the children from? National Security Adviser Gerald Gouveia said the school primarily serves indigenous children 12 to 18 years old. Education Minister Priya Manickchand said most of the children housed in the dormitory were from rural communities in the region.

Dig deeper: Read Kevin DeYoung’s column in WORLD Opinions about how Christians can respond to tragedy.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.