School honours teen killed by inhaling lighter fluid; Amsterdam mayor to help pay funeral costs
The Montessori Lyceum on Van Ostadestraat in Amsterdam set up a meorial place for 13-year-old student Ouahib Omri, who died this weekend after inhaling lighter fluid. Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan is giving Ouahib's family financial support so that the boy can be buried in Morocco as the family wants.
The memorial place at the school consists of a photo of Ouahib, some candles and flowers and a book in which people can leave messages. The last one was written by a teacher, rector Wrister Grommers said to AT5. It reads: "Dear Ouahib, rest in peace". "There are many students here who knew him well. And who find it incomprehensible that he is gone.", Grommers said.
The primary school Ouahib attended, the Theo Thijssen School, started a fundraiser to pay for the boy's funeral, as his family can't afford it. Mayor Eberhard van der Laan decided to contribute, a spokesperson said to Het Parool. "The mayor has his own pot of money to help people in difficult situations", the spokesperson said. "It falls under his own jurisdiction and usually involves a few hundred euros. Each year the mayor uses this power about ten times."
Only if he wants to give more than 5 thousand euros does Van der Laan need the approval of the rest of the college of mayor and aldermen.
Montessori Lyceum and the Moroccan consulate also contributed to the fundraising campaign, according to the newspaper.
The Amsterdam boy died on Sunday after inhaling lighter fluid. According to AT5, Ouahib and his friends used nitrous oxide (laughing gas) on Saturday and wanted to do it again on Sunday. They used lighter fluid on the assumption that it would have the same effect.
Ouahib went into cardiac arrest. Attempts to resuscitate hi were to no avail.
