MOSCOW (Sputnik) – On Wednesday, firefighters announced that 19 girls had been killed in a fire at the government-run rehabilitation center of Hogar Virgen de la Asuncion, located in the San Jose Pinula suburb of Guatemala City.
The El Nuevo Herald newspaper said late on Wednesday that the fire killed 21 minors and injured 40 others.
Guatemala has announced three days of national mourning for the victims of the fire, which broke out after one of the minors housed by the center set a mattress ablaze following a riot.
According to local media reports, about 60 adolescents escaped the rehabilitation center on Tuesday, protesting against violence and low food quality.