President Irfaan Ali yesterday announced that samples from 13 of the 19 Mahdia Secondary School dormitory fire victims will be sent to the Mount Sinai laboratory in New York and test results will be back in Guyana by Friday.
This was stated by the President during an update on Facebook where he noted that some 13 bodies were burnt beyond recognition and the DNA samples will be sent out of Guyana.
“We brought in, with the help of Barbados, a specialised team to help us with the DNA sampling. That team arrived sometime around mid-morning to lunch. The team is in the process of collecting all samples from the remains and from the parents after which those samples will be packaged and transferred sometime tomorrow to Mount Sinai.”
The samples will be flown to the Mount Sinai lab because the government believes that the processing there will not be long, as compared to other labs. This process will see Barbadian forensic pathologist, Dr Shubhakar Karra Paul assisting the authorities with identifying the bodies.
When the results return, and the identities of the children are established, the bodies will be handed over to their families for burial.
On Sunday night, a fire broke out in the school’s dorm which was occupied by females and a five-year-old boy.
The boy and 18 of the girls died.
A search was carried out of the gutted building and fourteen burnt remains were located. Yesterday, between 09.30 hours and 11.30 hours, government pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh, performed post-mortem examinations on six of the bodies: Nickleen Robinson, Natalie Bellarmine, Eulanda Carter, Sabrina John, Martha D’Andrade, and Adonijah Jerome, at the Mahdia District Hospital mortuary. The cause of death was given as smoke inhalation and burns.
Seventeen of the students were evacuated to the Georgetown Public Hospital. They are in stable but critical condition. Other students are presently in stable condition at the Mahdia District Hospital.
All patients are expected to come to Georgetown for a second assessment and all close relatives of the victims will receive counselling.
The government has also noted that a Cabinet Member will be assigned to each family member affected to offer support.
Meanwhile, one of the students is being questioned in relation to the fire. The fire department has maintained that the blaze was maliciously set.
The first funeral is expected tomorrow – that of Sabrina John.
