J 'cans injured in Russia
published: Friday | November 28, 2003
THE JAMAICAN Government says it continues to monitor the situation surrounding the fire at the People's Friendship University in Moscow, Russia which left two Jamaicans nursing injures.
The students were part of a group of five who went to Moscow earlier this month to take up studies via scholarships which were granted to them by the Russian government.
STUDENTS MADE THEIR ESCAPE
The fire which broke out at approximately 2:30 a.m. Monday quickly spread throughout the hostel called "Kruchevniki" forcing students to flee. Lenworth McCalla and Patrick Craig along with 57 others jumped from the building to escape the raging fire.
However, in his bid to escape, McCalla who jumped from the fifth floor sustained serious injuries, fracturing his hip and leg while Craig who jumped from the fourth floor suffered minor injuries. McCalla has undergone surgery to reset his hip and both are in stable condition. Both also lost all their belongings in the fire.
According to Everton Hannam, International Affairs Officer at the Ministry of Education, there are 23 Jamaican students pursuing tertiary studies in Russia in the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The remaining 21 students at the University, however, do not live on the block which was affected by the fire.
THE FIRE RAGED FOR THREE HOURS
In the meantime, the Deputy Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev is blaming a faulty electrical appliance as the cause for the blaze which killed 36 foreign students while injuring over 180 according to Interfax news agency's quote of city officials. The fire raged for three hours before being put out by a team of 40 fire fighters.
The Jamaican Government in its release said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade through its embassy in Berlin and the Russian Embassy in Kingston are in communication with the relevant authorities and students.
ASSISTANCE
The release also said the Government was closely monitoring the welfare of the students and is pursuing internal consultations as to the best means of rendering assistance.
The Scholarships and Assistance Unit of the Management Development Branch in the Cabinet Office at the Office of the Prime Minister which is the agency responsible for facilitating the scholarship programme has also been in contact with the Jamaican Students at the university.
