Fifteen-year-old girl faces 19 murder charges following school fire in Guyana

A tragic incident has occurred in Guyana, a South American country, that has shocked the world. On 21 May 2023, a 15-year-old girl was accused of deliberately setting fire to a girls' dormitory at Mahdia secondary school.

This inferno caused the deaths of eighteen schoolmates and a five-year-old boy, leaving over two dozen injured.

The motive for this devastating destruction was reportedly an altercation between the student and dorm administrator regarding confiscating her mobile phone.

The building had all five doors locked from the inside, trapping those inside to face the growing flames and smoke. Of those injured, one critically wounded student was flown to New York for specialist medical treatment; most have since been discharged from hospital care.


In response to these terrible events, police have charged the student with nineteen counts of murder as an adult in a court south of Georgetown, Guyana's capital city.

The defendant did not plead any guilt or innocence during their virtual hearing and will make another appearance on 5 July when both state and defence lawyers will indicate if they are ready to commence preliminary trial proceedings.

If proven guilty, the young girl could face life imprisonment as punishment for her alleged crime.

Source: The Guardian