At least 26 students killed as fire sweeps two schools in Congo
The blaze began in a house before spreading to two neighbouring schools in Bukavu
Bikavu: At least 26 students were killed and dozens more injured after a fire swept through two neighbouring schools in the eastern city of Bukavu on Thursday, provincial authorities said.
The South Kivu provincial government said 19 girls and seven boys were among those killed, warning that the death toll could rise.
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The fire began at a house before spreading to the adjoining Furaha secondary school and Ujamaa primary school, local neighbourhood administrator Moïse Lubala told The Associated Press.
Several students were trapped inside Furaha school as the flames spread, while others suffered smoke inhalation or were injured in the rush to escape, Lubala said.
Students of different ages were taken in their school uniforms to the nearby Nyamulagira BDOM health centre, where medical staff were treating large numbers of casualties.
A nurse at the centre, Ciza Jean-Baptiste, told the AP that staff were struggling to determine the precise number of injured because so many people had been brought in for treatment.
An earlier toll given by Lawrence Kanyuka, a spokesman for the M23 rebel group that controls Bukavu, put the number of students killed at 24 and said 29 people were receiving treatment. The provincial government later reported at least 26 deaths.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
The blaze also caused extensive damage in the densely populated neighbourhood, where many homes are built largely from wood, increasing the risk of flames spreading rapidly.
