DR Congo School Fire: A school fire and stampede in Bukavu, eastern DR Congo, has killed 26 children and injured 25 others, according to UNICEF.
The tragedy occurred on Thursday while pupils were in lessons at a school in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province.
The fire began at about 9:00am local time and quickly triggered panic among the students.
A teacher told AFP that children began screaming after the fire broke out, with some pupils attempting to escape by jumping from higher floors while others rushed through the doors.
The blaze reportedly engulfed a school building constructed largely from wooden planks, making it difficult for those inside to escape safely.
A stampede followed as students struggled to get out of the building.
Inspectors from the Congolese education ministry said some students were trampled after falling during the rush to escape, while others trapped inside suffered from asphyxiation.
The report also said fires broke out simultaneously at three locations about 500 metres apart.
UNICEF said 25 children were injured in the disaster.
The victims reportedly included 20 girls and six boys, according to the M23 authorities, with funerals expected to take place on Saturday.
The tragedy has caused widespread grief in Bukavu, where residents and families were seen searching through the debris following the fire.
Bukavu, a major city on the shores of Lake Kivu, has experienced deadly fires in the past.
The city has many wooden houses built on hillsides, and specialists have identified factors such as inadequate firefighting equipment, closely packed buildings and illegal electricity connections as contributing to the frequent outbreaks.
The education ministry expressed sadness over the latest tragedy and noted that the incident followed a concerning series of fires in Bukavu.
Another fire in the city in October reportedly killed 14 people, mainly children.
Authorities in Kinshasa and the M23 group have called for an investigation into the cause of Thursday’s fire.
The disaster also reportedly destroyed hundreds of homes, adding to the humanitarian impact of the incident.
The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been affected by conflict for decades, with armed groups operating across parts of the region.
Bukavu has been under the control of the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group since February 2025, according to the report.
M23 declared three days of mourning following the school fire.
Families and local residents continue to deal with the loss as authorities assess the full impact of the tragedy.
Congolese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Denis Mukwege called for urgent measures to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected.
The disaster has renewed attention on fire safety and emergency preparedness in densely populated communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The investigation into the cause of the fire is expected to provide more information about what triggered the blaze and whether safety measures could have prevented the scale of the tragedy.
Source: Channels Television / AFP