"It is with great sadness that we present to you a heartbreaking update on the fire at the dormitory of Mahdia Secondary School. The death toll currently stands at 20," the Guyanese government said in a statement on the night of Sunday to Monday without yet being able to specify the causes of the disaster in the mining town.
"Several other people were injured," the government said, adding that five planes have already taken off for Mahdia to help regional health officials provide additional medical supplies and carry out medical evacuations. A security source said on condition of anonymity that there were "many dead and wounded", stressing that the victims were "children".
"This is a major disaster. It's horrible, it's painful."
"The president and other officials are supporting efforts in Ogle (Georgetown Airport) to welcome critically ill patients and coordinate an emergency action plan. A large-scale medical emergency action plan has been launched," according to the text, which "asks for continued prayer for these children, their families and their communities." At least one plane with three evacuees arrived in Georgetown, an AFP journalist said.
"This is a major disaster. It's horrible, it's painful," President Irfaan Ali said earlier from the airport he had gone to wait for rescue. "We are setting up large-scale medical relief (...) I have also ordered special arrangements to be made" in the capital's two major hospitals "so that every child who needs attention receives the best possible care," he added.
Mahdia is located about 200 km south of Georgetown while the area is affected by heavy rains.
A thorough investigation requested
"Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of those affected by this tragedy," said Natasha Singh-Lewis, an opposition MP. "We call on the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the causes of the fire and provide a detailed report on what really happened. We must understand how this horrific and deadly event happened and take all necessary measures to prevent such a tragedy from happening again in the future," she added.
A small, poor English-speaking country of 800,000 inhabitants, Guyana, a former Dutch and then British colony, has the world's largest per capita oil reserves and hopes for rapid development in the coming years with the exploitation of these reserves which is still in its infancy.
Experts estimate that the Guyana-Suriname Basin contains about 15 billion barrels of oil reserves associated with large gas deposits.
