A 10-year-old Thai girl called out for her mother and father as a blaze swept through her school dormitory “until her voice was gone,” her mother said on Tuesday.
The fire broke out late on Sunday as the girls, ages five to 12, slept at a Christian school for the children of hill-tribe families in the northern province of Chiang Rai. Seventeen girls died in the fire.
Investigators are investigating whether the cause was faulty lighting on the ground floor of the the dormitory.
Malawian Saw-wa’s daughter, May, died in the hospital, where she was brought from the school. Her elder daughter survived by jumping from a second-floor window, she said.
“My eldest daughter said she heard May calling for mom and dad to help until her voice was gone,” Malawian said.
“Never in my lifetime will I let my [other] daughter out of my sight. The school must be held responsible for this. My daughter was my heart and soul.”
Five of the victims have been identified and the police were seeking to identify the others through DNA tests.
Police questioned witnesses on Tuesday, and said they had not yet reached a conclusion on the cause of the fire.
“We still need to gather evidence from the scene on what caused this and whether this was due to negligence,” said district police chief Prayad Singsin.
A forensics officer said that evidence pointed to a loose light bulb melting on the ground floor of the two-story building, causing the fire that killed the girls on the floor above.
Approximately 10 of the 19 girls that survived the fire remained on school grounds on Monday night, their parents had yet to arrive from far-flung areas to pick them up, said Tuenjai Tanachaikant, a local who volunteered to help at the school after the fire.
Some of the parents also slept at the school, where they lit incense sticks and prayed.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha sent his condolences to the families of the victims and the school.
“The prime minister wanted to send a message to all the teachers and students that the fire may burn down the school buildings but don’t let it burn away their hopes,” government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd told reporters.
Prayuth said he had ordered government agencies to work to reduce the number of deadly accidents in Thailand. In Bangkok. on Tuesday, a blaze at a restaurant and bar killed two people, police said.
Story: Reuters
