A 14-year-old girl injured in the blaze has died in intensive care as the teenage arson suspect faces murder charges.
A 14-year-old girl was injured in a fire at a dormitory in the South American state of Guyana, bringing the death toll from the disaster to 20.
Guyana’s Department of Public Information (DPI) issued an update on Tuesday that teenager Sherana Daniels died at a hospital in the capital George Town at around 10:00 am local time (14:00 GMT) .
She was taken to intensive care after a deadly fire broke out at a boarding school in the town of Mahdia late on May 21.
Daniels “was one of the first people to be airlifted to Georgetown on the morning of Monday, May 22, and was critical until her death,” the statement said.
“Ministry of Health [Minister of Health] Thank you doctors, nurses and other staff for their hard work and hope that a miracle will be possible. “
Before Daniels died, 18 schoolgirls and a 5-year-old boy had died in the fire. Most are between the ages of 12 and 18.
The government has previously said that 13 of the bodies were too wounded to be identified with the naked eye: DNA testing must be done to confirm their names.
In addition, more than 20 students were injured in the fire. A 13-year-old girl continues to receive specialized care at the Northwell Burn Center at Staten Island University Hospital in New York, where she was transported over the weekend.
She underwent the first of several operations on May 29 and is in a stable condition, the Department of Information statement said on Tuesday.
“She is doing well and the ministry looks forward to a positive outcome. Her mother is by her side and her father is flying to New York this week,” the statement said.
Police said the fire was started by a teenage student who was angry that her mobile phone had been confiscated. The public boarding school primarily serves students, some of whom are hard to reach, from indigenous communities in the area around Mahdia.
The teenage girl accused of arson was charged with 19 counts of murder on Monday and is being held in a juvenile detention center awaiting trial. The incident also raised questions about school safety procedures.
