At least 26 children have been killed after a fire triggered a stampede at a school in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with some pupils jumping from upper floors as they tried to escape the blaze.
The fire broke out on Thursday at Ujamaa Primary School while classes were underway, according to a report by inspectors from the Congolese education ministry and information from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
A teacher at the school, Simon Kasamira, said panic erupted after students began screaming and rushing to escape the building.
Kasamira, who was receiving treatment at a clinic, told AFP that some students jumped from higher floors while others tried to flee through the doors.
He said parents rushed to the school in search of their children before he saw the building, which was largely constructed from wooden planks, engulfed in flames.
The fire triggered a stampede as pupils struggled to escape. Education ministry inspectors reported that some students were trampled after falling during the rush.
The ministry’s report said some of those trapped inside the building died from asphyxiation. It also stated that fires broke out at three separate locations about 500 metres apart.
UNICEF said 25 children were injured in the disaster, while the education ministry and local officials reported that the fire also destroyed hundreds of homes.
The M23 armed group, which has controlled Bukavu since February 2025, declared three days of mourning following the tragedy.
According to M23, the victims comprised 20 girls and six boys, with their funerals expected to take place on Saturday.
Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province and a major city on the shores of Lake Kivu, has experienced frequent deadly fires, partly because of its densely built wooden houses and limited firefighting capacity.
Authorities in Kinshasa and M23 have called for an investigation to determine the cause of Thursday’s fire.
The tragedy has sparked widespread mourning across the DRC, a country that has endured decades of conflict involving numerous armed groups competing for control of territory in the east.
The education ministry expressed deep sorrow over the deaths, describing the incident as part of a worrying pattern of fires in Bukavu. A separate blaze in the city in October killed 14 people, most of them children.
Specialists say fires are common in Congolese cities because of inadequate firefighting infrastructure, closely packed buildings and illegal connections to the electricity network.
Another fire at a wedding ceremony in Kinshasa last week killed 12 people.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Denis Mukwege urged authorities to take immediate action and provide humanitarian support to those affected, stressing that the deaths of the children must not be allowed to fade from public memory.
Goodness Anunobi
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