Fully equipped Mahdia dorm would not have delivered different result –CoI Chair
-report handed over to President
Handing over the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) report into the Mahdia dorm fire which claimed 20 lives on May 21, 2023, Chairman, Major General (Rtd) Joe Singh said a fully-equipped facility would not have yielded a different result on the night of the tragedy given the speed of the conflagration.
He made the statement yesterday at State House where the report was handed over to President Irfaan Ali.
According to Singh, the printed version of the report was unanimously supported by all commissioners who had received their Instruments of Appointment on August 10, 2023, and began public hearings on September 15 which ended on November 10, 2023.
In his remarks, he highlighted that the fire was an act of arson by an individual. A resident of the dorm is currently facing 20 charges of murder.
Despite the disclosure of fire prevention inadequacies at the dorms during hearings of the inquiry held in September, Singh posited that even if the dorm was fully equipped, the situation would have still delivered the same result.
In explaining his statement, he noted that due to failed efforts in contacting and get the assistance of firefighters, there were stumbling blocks to accessing the building.
After hearing the testimonies of 29 witnesses, reviewing a number of recordings, reports and statements, and making visits to communities including Mahdia, Micobie, Chenapau, and Karisparu, all located in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), the CoI Chairman said that there is supporting evidence which substantiates the commission’s findings and recommendations in the report.
Singh said that the commission examined several factors, including the influence of the mining culture on communities, vulnerability of youth, the influence of adults who groom young females, sometimes supported by family members who benefit financially, and the negligence of officials from the Guyana Fire Service and others in the education sector