JEDDAH/RIYADH, 15 March — Interior Minister Prince Naif stated yesterday that the government would investigate the Makkah school fire tragedy earnestly to bring the culprits to account. He also said that the persons responsible for the incident would be asked to pay blood money to the families of the 14 girls who perished in the school disaster as well as compensations to the injured.

“We will find out whether there was any negligence on the part of any agency or person,” Prince Naif told Okaz newspaper. He said he was personally following up on the investigation into the incident to know every details. “I have asked all parties involved to present their reports. Now we have to wait until the investigations are completed,” he added.

Earlier, Dr. Ali Al-Murshid, head of the Presidency of Girls’ Education, strongly refuted allegations of negligence leveled against his department following the Makkah incident, and said he would not shy away from the duty of serving the country until death.

The PGE chief, at a press conference in Riyadh on Wednesday, was responding to rumors that he was likely to resign after taking responsibility for the Monday’s fire in a Makkah school that killed 14 schoolgirls and left more than 50 others injured.

More than 2.4 million girls study at schools and colleges run by the PGE.

“We are all soldiers in the service of this country and we deem it a great honor. I don’t think any Muslim in this country will try to find an excuse to shy away from the duty of serving his country and religion,” Murshid said when asked about reports of his planned resignation.

Parents and intellectuals across the country have urged Murshid and top PGE officials to quit their positions and take full responsibility for the catastrophe, which many claim occurred because of their incompetence in dealing with issues like school security and overcrowding.

The Arabic daily, Al-Nadwah, based in Makkah, too lent its voice to the growing numbers calling for the resignation of Murshid and Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Oqla, director of girls’ education in the Makkah region. “In order to share grief with the families of the fire victims, the least they can do is to submit their resignations,” Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Arabi, editor in chief of the daily, wrote in a front-page editorial.

But Murshid said the tragedy occurred not because of lack of safety requirements but because of the sudden rush of students and teachers to get out of the building on seeing smoke billowing out of the building.

Murshid, however, warned that the presidency would take strong action against those who caused the tragedy. “We are waiting for the results of the investigation to take action against those responsible for the incident,” he added.

He admitted that the rented building of the fire-hit Intermediate Girls’ School No. 31 in Makkah was located in a narrow area. “It was rented out of necessity and considering the situation of the district,” he said. “But if investigators find instances of wrongdoing in selecting buildings, we will take action against the official in charge,” he added.

“Justice is the hallmark of the Saudi government and no injustice will be done to anybody,” Murshid told reporters.

The PGE chief also highlighted his organization’s constant efforts to find suitable buildings for girls’ schools. According to statistics published last year, 9,562 schools — 3,850 for boys and 5,712 for girls — in the Kingdom operate from rented buildings.

“We have a plan in place that allows for regular maintenance of all our schools,” he said.

“We have also instructed girls’ schools to conduct drills for evacuation in coordination with the Civil Defense,” he added, claiming that the PGE schools were provided with fire extinguishers.

Referring to reports that the school was locked from outside at the time of the fire, Murshid said: “We have instructed all schools not to lock any of the doors at the main exit points. As PGE employs guards for these gates, there is no need to lock them.”

He referred to the presidency’s efforts to phase out rented buildings gradually after building more schools. “In future we will also consult with the Civil Defense before renting new buildings,” he added. Murshid also welcomed suggestions from public to improve the presidency’s performance.

Dr. Khaled Daheesh, assistant undersecretary at PGE for planning and development, said the presidency was facing difficulties in getting suitable buildings to rent in major cities.

Last year, he said, the PGE spent SR40 million to furnish its schools and SR60 million on maintenance.