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. A fire broke out Thursday in a school in the eastern DR Congo city of Bukavu, causing a stampede that killed at least 14 children, local and health sources said.
The blaze began while the children were in lessons, forcing some to try to escape by jumping from higher floors, a teacher told AFP.
Large columns of smoke were still visible around the site of the fire at midday on Thursday, an AFP correspondent saw. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha / AFP)
A fire and stampede at a school in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo killed at least 26 children, the UN children’s agency said on Friday, with some pupils leaping from windows on high floors to escape the carnage.
The blaze in the city of Bukavu on Thursday began around 9:00 am (0700 GMT) while the children were in lessons, forcing some to try to escape by jumping from higher floors, a teacher told AFP.
