At least 27 schoolchildren were killed in a stampede as they tried to escape a fire that swept through two schools in the rebel-held city of Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, local authorities said.
Issued on: 11/09/2026 - 10:48
2 min Reading time
The blaze began near a school in Kadutu, a densely populated neighbourhood overlooking the city, while children were in lessons. It spread from nearby homes to two school complexes, causing pupils to panic as the flames approached. Some were trampled in the rush to escape. "This 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," local leader Patrice Buduge said.
People walk amid the charred remains of homes near a primary school and a secondary school in Bukavu where a deadly fire broke out, © Janvier Barhahiga / AP
