At least 20 children feared dead in DR Congo school fire
By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent
At least 20 people were killed and 29 others injured when a massive fire and subsequent stampede tore through two primary schools and hundreds of homes in the rebel-held city of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Thursday. The disaster has devastated the Chimpunda district and the Kadutu commune in South Kivu province, leaving local medical facilities overwhelmed and compounding humanitarian concerns in a region already fractured by armed conflict. Contextual analysis of the ongoing security vacuum and regional displacement trends indicates that population density in hillside settlements significantly amplified the disaster’s lethal impact.
Devastation in Rebel-Controlled Bukavu
The fire erupted at approximately eight o’clock in the morning, targeting the Ujamaa and Furaha primary schools alongside a sprawling nearby settlement. Bukavu has remained under the control of the Rwanda-backed AFC/M23 movement since the armed group captured the regional capital during an offensive last year. The blaze rapidly tore through corrugated metal structures, eventually destroying between three hundred and five hundred homes, a local clinic, and extensive residential areas. UN-backed Radio Okapi and local media confirmed that the initial death toll stands at twenty, though regional administration figures suggest the number could climb higher.
Stampede and Medical Emergency
Survivors and medical workers described scenes of absolute panic as flames spread toward the educational facilities. Local leader Patrice Buduge explained the immediate aftermath to the AFP news agency, stating that the fire 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.” Dunia Masumbuko Bwenge, vice governor of South Kivu province in the rebel-appointed administration, told Reuters that twenty-four people had died, specifically noting nineteen girls and five boys, alongside twenty-nine injured individuals. Medical personnel struggled to manage the influx of critical patients. Christophe Zigashane, a nurse at a local clinic, told AFP that his facility received around fifty students and several teachers suffering from severe asphyxia, noting, “We received around 50 students, including several teachers, in a critical state of asphyxia. Among them, 10 were dead and four others died at the scene. That makes a total of 14 deaths, all under 10 years old.”
Official Responses and Broader Crisis
Authorities across the fractured political landscape responded with varying degrees of official statements as rescue and assessment operations continued. Rebel-appointed authorities indicated they were actively assessing the damage and promised a provisional casualty update. Meanwhile, the central government in Kinshasa released a statement on X addressing the catastrophe without citing specific numbers. “The Ministry of National Education and New Citizenship expressed deep sorrow over the deadly fire,” the ministry stated. The statement added, “With several lives lost and many injured, the toll remains provisional. The minister offered condolences, affirmed solidarity with families, and ordered assessments of affected schools to ensure learning continuity.”
This disaster follows another deadly stampede at a wedding banquet hall in Kinshasa the previous weekend, prompting nationwide government directives to enforce stricter safety standards in public gathering places. The exact cause of the Bukavu blaze remains unknown as investigators sift through the smoking rubble. As rival administrations navigate emergency response coordination across conflict lines, international observers emphasize that civilian protection and infrastructure resilience must remain paramount to prevent further tragedies in densely populated urban zones.
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