Guyana fire survivors to be treated here; local forensic pathologist sent there to assist
Some of the survivors from the fire at a secondary school in Guyana are to be flown to Barbados to receive medical treatment, while the Government has sent a forensic pathologist to its Caribbean Community (CARICOM) neighbour to help identify some of the 19 children who died.
The news came on Tuesday, a day after Prime Minister Mia Mottley promised that Barbados would lend assistance to Guyana in the aftermath of the fire at the Mahdia Secondary School’s female dormitory late Sunday.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne said regional airline LIAT, which is currently doing limited commercial flights, has been instructed to transport the burn victims to Barbados.
He said his government will foot the bill for the airlifts and collaborate with the airline’s court-appointed administrator to coordinate the logistics of getting the injured children to Barbados for specialised medical treatment.
Meanwhile, forensic pathologist Dr Shubhakar Karra Paul who is employed at the Barbados Government’s Forensic Sciences Centre arrived in Guyana on Tuesday, according to online media outlet News Room Guyana.
Of the 18 girls and one boy who died in the blaze that engulfed the dormitory, six have already had autopsies. According to the news report, Dr Paul will help identify the other 13 bodies through DNA testing, using samples from four sets of relatives of the victims that have been unidentified so far.
News Room Guyana said those bodies were reportedly badly charred and posed challenges to Guyanese authorities trying to establish identities.
Both fire and police officials have determined that the blaze was maliciously set and are continuing investigations.
(DP/SZB)
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