KINSHASA, Sept. 10– The death toll from a fire that broke out Thursday in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu Province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has risen to 26 primary school students, local media reported, citing hospital sources.
According to the reports, the 26 bodies were taken to local hospitals, while other students suffering from smoke inhalation were receiving treatment at several hospitals. Earlier, Lawrence Kanyuka, spokesperson for the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group, which currently controls Bukavu, put the provisional death toll at 24, including 19 girls and five boys.
Kanyuka also said 29 people had been injured, including 21 who were receiving intensive care. Kanyuka said that the fire broke out in a neighborhood of the city, destroying several houses before spreading rapidly to two nearby primary schools.
Rescue teams were deployed to the scene and later brought the blaze under control, preventing it from spreading further to other residential buildings. Moise Lubala, a local neighborhood official, told Xinhua at least 80 houses had been burned, affecting 96 households, while another 16 houses were demolished to create a firebreak and stop the flames from spreading.
Bahati Mushagalusa, whose home was destroyed, said the fire had also affected students at the primary schools. He said both his own house and another property he rented out had been reduced to ashes, along with everything inside.
The Congolese Ministry of National Education and New Citizenship said in a statement that the fire had caused multiple casualties, including among students, but did not provide a specific death toll.
The ministry said casualty figures remained provisional as information from different sources was being consolidated and verified. It also called for the circumstances and cause of the fire to be thoroughly investigated. Bukavu is currently under the control of the M23. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
