Key takeaways:
- A rebel-appointed official told Reuters that 24 people died in the Bukavu fire, including 19 girls and five boys, and 29 others were injured.
- The fire broke out Thursday morning at Ujamaa and Furaha primary schools and a nearby settlement in the Chimpunda district.
- The blaze destroyed hundreds of homes, with reports ranging from about 300 to between 300 and 500, and the cause has not been established.
A fire tore through two primary schools and nearby homes in the rebel-held city of Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least 20 people and triggering a stampede as children tried to escape, officials and media reports said.
The blaze broke out Thursday morning in the Chimpunda district of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province. It struck Ujamaa and Furaha primary schools and a nearby settlement at about 8 a.m. local time, according to United Nations Radio Okapi, which cited local authorities.
Dunia Masumbuko Bwenge, an official in the rebel-appointed administration, told Reuters that 24 people had died — 19 girls and five boys — and that 29 others were injured. The BBC reported that at least 24 schoolchildren were feared dead and that adults were also reported to have died, with fears the toll could rise in the densely populated Kadutu commune.
Radio Okapi, cited by Al Jazeera, reported at least 20 deaths and an unspecified number of injuries. The figures remained provisional.
Local leader Patrice Buduge told AFP the fire was “followed by a violent stampede that forced students to trample over one another or look for a dangerous way out; many of them fainted and others lost consciousness.”
Christophe Zigashane, a nurse at a local clinic, told AFP that at least 14 children were among those killed. “We received around 50 students, including several teachers, in a critical state of asphyxia,” he said. “Among them, 10 were dead and four others died at the scene. That makes a total of 14 deaths, all under 10 years old.”
Survivors were taken to nearby hospitals. The BBC reported that footage from the scene showed children lying on hospital floors in pain, while pictures circulating on social media showed young children lying motionless on the ground. Al Jazeera said verified footage showed flames consuming a number of houses as the fire spread to the two schools.
The blaze also destroyed a large number of homes. The BBC reported that about 300 houses were destroyed. Local media cited by Al Jazeera said the fire ravaged between 300 and 500 homes and a clinic. Several people were treated for smoke inhalation, and some were reported to be in critical condition.
The cause of the fire was unknown. A witness quoted by Reuters said the fire had been put out by afternoon, though smoke was still rising from rubble and corrugated metal.
Rebel-appointed authorities said they were assessing the situation and would release a provisional death toll. The government in Kinshasa issued a statement on X but did not give casualty numbers.
“The Ministry of National Education and New Citizenship expressed deep sorrow over the deadly fire,” the statement said. “With several lives lost and many injured, the toll remains provisional. The minister offered condolences, affirmed solidarity with families, and ordered assessments of affected schools to ensure learning continuity.”
Bukavu, one of DR Congo’s most crowded hillside cities, has been controlled by the Rwanda-backed AFC/M23 movement since a lightning offensive in eastern Congo last year. The BBC reported that the city was captured by M23 rebels in February last year.
Congolese media noted that Bukavu has experienced several fires in recent days, including one last Sunday that destroyed more than 45 houses. The tragedy also followed a fire last weekend in Kinshasa, where residents died in a stampede at a wedding banquet hall. In response, the government ordered strict safety measures and deployed teams nationwide to enforce standards at public gathering places.
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