At least 24 people, all schoolchildren, have died and 29 others have been injured after a fire tore through a densely populated neighbourhood in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on Thursday morning.
The blaze began in a home in Cimpunda, in Bukavu's Kadutu municipality, before spreading rapidly through neighbouring buildings, reaching two primary schools and destroying more than 300 homes, according to a provisional toll from local authorities.
The victims included 19 girls and five boys, all of them students.
The fire broke out at around 8 a.m., when residents in the densely packed neighbourhood were beginning their day. Flames quickly jumped from one structure to another, fuelled by the close proximity of homes and buildings.
The blaze eventually reached Ujamaa and Furaha primary schools, sending students and residents scrambling for safety as smoke filled the area.
