Deadly fire and stampede hit schools in Bukavu

A fire tore through two adjoining schools and a densely populated hillside neighbourhood in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on Thursday, triggering a stampede that killed schoolchildren and left hundreds of families homeless. The death toll remained uncertain, with figures ranging from 14 to 27 depending on the source, and no independent verification was possible in the rebel-held city. The rebel administration that controls Bukavu gave a provisional toll of 24 dead, including 19 girls and five boys, with 29 people receiving treatment in medical facilities, according to statements from AFC/M23 officials including spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka and South Kivu vice governor Dunia Masumbuko Bwenge. The group said 21 of the injured were in intensive care and that an investigation into the cause of the blaze was under way. Local health workers reported different figures. Christophe Zigashane, a nurse at a neighbouring clinic, said the facility received around 50 students, including several teachers, in a critical state of asphyxia, and that 14 of them died, all under 10 years old. Local leader Patrice Buduge cited a provisional toll of 27 deaths.