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.

Residents in the rebel-controlled city of Bukavu have been reeling in the aftermath of a fire that tore through two schools and proved deadly.

A fire at a school in Congo's rebel-controlled city of Bukavu has killed at least 17 people, including children.