SW News: A school dormitory fire claimed at least 19 lives in the central Guyanese mining town of Mahdia on Monday. President Irfaan Ali has proclaimed a three-day national period of mourning in an expression of sorrow over the unfortunate tragedy at the Mahdia Secondary School.

“The full results of what happened are not here as yet,” President Ali said in a statement. “The focus now is on the children to ensure that we do everything, to give them as much help as we can,” he said.

Local media reported that neighbors raced to the scene after hearing the cries of those trapped inside. Guyana Prime Minister Mark Phillips and Minister of Education Priya Manickchand also paid a visit to the site amid heavy downpour. Officials from the police and fire department claim that the fire in a dormitory at a secondary school was "maliciously set." No further details on the cause of the fire or who may have been responsible have been released.

As many as 56 kids were residing in the concrete and timber structure hostel with five doors and grill windows when the fire first started, a police representative said during a press conference.

Officials were alerted about the fire at 10:15pm (local time) on Sunday night. "The point of origin was identified as the southwestern end of the building. After we completed our initial investigation, the scene was handed over to the Mahdia police force," a spokesperson of the firefighter department said.

The Department of Public Information said that 13 girls and a boy died at the dorm, and five other kids passed away in the hospital. Authorities announced that the government had established a full-scale medical emergency action plan, with aircraft stocked with personnel and equipment to help local first responders. Victims with critical injuries were evacuated to Georgetown in a matter of hours. Others were either under surveillance or had been admitted to the Mahdia District Hospital.

It was "a battle" to fly through lightning and thunder to reach the region, said Guyana's national security adviser, Gerry Gouveia.