A 15-year-old girl has been charged with “maliciously” k#lling 19 children by setting fire to a school dormitory after her cell phone was taken by a teacher.
According to a statement from the Guyana Fire and Rescue Service, a fire “ravaged” Mahdia Secondary School in western Guyana just before midnight on May 21, killing 18 female students and one 5-year-old boy.
AP reported that the teenage girl appeared in court virtually on Monday and was charged as an adult for the 19 murders. The teen wasn’t allowed to enter a plea to the charges, AP reported, and will make another court appearance on July 5 when it will be determined if the trial can begin.
Investigators allege the teen started the fire in the dorm bathroom after her cell phone was confiscated, per AP. The girl faces life in prison if convicted, the outlet added.
At the time of the fire, there were 56 female students present in the concrete and wooden building, the fire department reported in its statement.
The windows of the dorm were also barred and five doors were locked, it added.
Many of the bodies were “burned beyond recognition,” Guyana President Dr Irfaan Ali said in a press conference the day after the fire, and DNA samples were sent to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City for identification. According to Guyana’s Department of Public Information (DPI), the results have been returned and all victims have been positively identified.
AP reported that Guyana national security advisor Gerald Gouveia said the dormitory administrator previously locked the doors so the female students wouldn’t sneak out. Tragically, the 5-year-old boy who died was reportedly the administrator’s son.
While the total number of injuries was not released, about 13 students were transferred to hospitals with injuries, according to the DPI. One victim was also taken to the burn center at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City over the weekend due to the severity of her injuries, according to the DPI.