A fire and subsequent stampede at a school in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), killed at least 26 children and injured 25 others, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
The fire broke out around 9:00 a.m. local time on Thursday while pupils were in class at Ujamaa Primary School, forcing some children to jump from upper-floor windows as they tried to escape.
A teacher, Simon Kasamira, told AFP that he heard pupils screaming before seeing some jump from the upper floors while others rushed through the doors.
Parents also arrived at the school in search of their children as a large fire engulfed the wooden structure.
According to a report by inspectors from the Congolese education ministry, the blaze triggered a stampede as pupils struggled to escape, with some being trampled after falling.
The report said some of those trapped inside died from asphyxiation, adding that fires broke out simultaneously at three locations about 500 metres apart.
UNICEF said 25 children were injured in the disaster.
Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, has been under the control of the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group since February 2025.
M23 declared three days of mourning following the tragedy, while funerals for the victims, identified as 20 girls and six boys, are expected to take place on Saturday.
Authorities in Kinshasa and M23 have called for an investigation into the cause of the fire.
The tragedy has renewed concerns over frequent deadly fires in Bukavu, where many homes and buildings are constructed from wood on densely populated hillsides.
A fire in the city in October killed 14 people, mostly children, while a separate blaze at a wedding in Kinshasa last week claimed 12 lives.
Experts have attributed frequent fires in Congolese cities to inadequate firefighting equipment, overcrowded buildings and illegal connections to the electricity grid.
The Congolese Education Ministry expressed “profound sadness” over the latest incident, describing it as part of a worrying series of fires in Bukavu.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Denis Mukwege called for urgent humanitarian assistance for those affected, saying the scale of the tragedy required immediate action.
