Schoolchildren in uniform walk past burned houses on their way to school, one day after a deadly fire in Cimpunda, in the Kadutu commune of Bukavu, on September 11, 2026. Photo: AFP
At least 26 children died in a fire and stampede at a school in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN children’s agency said on Friday.
The blaze in the city of Bukavu on Thursday began around 9:00 am (0700 GMT) while the children were in lessons, triggering a desperate stampede as students struggled to escape.
Another 25 children were injured, UNICEF said in a statement.
Bukavu, a major city and the capital of South Kivu province, has been controlled since February 2025 by the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group after it stepped up a campaign to seize swathes of mineral-rich eastern DRC.
