11 inmates suffer burns in Berbice psychiatric hospital fire
-search underway for 5 escapees
Eleven inmates suffered burn injuries after a fire was set in their ward at the National Psychiatric Hospital at Canje, Berbice, and a search was underway last night for five who used the ensuing chaos to flee.
Up to press time, the Guyana Police Force confirmed that 11 of the patients who received burns about their bodies were rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital, where they were admitted. They are all said to be stable.
In a statement, the police said while nine inmates escaped, three were recaptured and a fourth voluntarily walked into the hospital.
According to the police, a fight broke out between three of the 31 male inmates housed in the Chalet 4 Male Admission Ward at the psychiatric hospital around 7.15pm.
As a result, the matron along with the supervisor and two male nurses went to the ward, where they saw smoke coming from inside of the ward and heard patients shouting for help.
As a result, the Guyana Fire Service and police were called.
The police statement said while firefighters managed to extinguish the fire from the building, the patients broke out from a southern door and nine of them escaped.
When contacted around 9pm last night, Regional Chairman David Armogan confirmed that the fire was under control and that the police were actively searching for the persons who escaped.
Armogan said that based on the initial information he received, the fire was started in the ceiling of the ward housing patients who have been referred by the court system. It is suspected that the fire was started with a lighter. Additionally, Stabroek News was told that some patients had sharpened the edges of their toothbrushes to make shivs and used them to inflict injuries on each other last evening.
Police ranks in Region Six as of last evening were on the ground searching for those missing. Only recently, a Canefield, East Canje Berbice man died following a recent attack allegedly perpetrated by a fellow patient at the Psychiatric Hospital.
Ryan Satesh Sunthgolam, 41, of Lot 128 East Canefield, East Canje Berbice, was rushed to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, where he was shortly after pronounced dead on arrival.
Armogan has said yesterday told Stabroek News that the matter was reported to the police and an investigation is ongoing. According to him, a patient pulled out a window and grill mesh, which he used to inflict the injuries on Sunthgolam.