Third detention center fire victim dead

Three of the teenagers who were burned in a fire at a Panama Juvenile Detention center while police stood by or fired tear gas canisters into the burning building, have now died.

Four others, in San Tomas Hospital since the fire on Sunday (January 9) are in a “critical”state and are connected to ventilators.  Hospital staff give little hope of their survival.

Minister of Government Roxana Méndez has ordered the transfer of administrative staff and guards who were working at the juvenile detention center in Tocumen Sunday.
Méndez said that the ministry intends to fully cooperate with the Public Ministry, which is conducting an investigation. The staff on duty at the time will be assigned to other facilities.
The Ministry of Security has ordered the suspension of two police officers who were at the scene. Videos aired on TV show the juveniles screaming for help to escape fires that had broken out inside the facility during a disturbance.
Police are shown standing outside the burning building, not reacting to the fire and one calling out “die”
Wednesday, the government ordered all police officers to be removed as guards from the detention center.
Méndez promised to bring "the full weight of the law against the people who are responsible for this."
In addition to the Public Ministry's investigation, the Ministry of Government and the Ministry of Security have formed a commission to examine protocols and procedures for prisons to prevent such incidents in the future.
The worst victim had with burns up to 90 percent of the body, the least affected had burns covering 30 percent.
One victim had been shot in the face with birdshot, and others had wrist injuries "consistent with the use of handcuffs," according to an initial report of the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (Imelcf)
The incident has left three dead , four sseverly burnt and seven wounded, four of them with buckshot. Humberto Mas, director of Imelcf, reported that one burned youth had received blows "with blunt objects compatible with the use of police truncheons." 

Of the seven other young people injured, but not hospitalized, four have shot wounds, one of whom was shot "in the face." The other three have abrasions on their wrists and forearms, "consistent with the use of bands or wires." 

On Thursday, relatives filed a criminal complaints against Iris Cedeno, director of the Center, Luis Ortega chief of police in Tocumen, Ernesto Blake, perimeter security chief

Assistant Prosecutor Dimas Guevara, said that he has twice asked the police to provide the names of the officers on duty at the Center.
La Prensa says The Fire Department has ruled out  human error  as the cause of the blaze, and the release of the tear gas may have caused the second fire.