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- A deadly fire and stampede killed at least 24 to 26 children at two wooden-plank schools in Bukavu, eastern DR Congo.
- Panicked students jumped from upper-floor windows and were trampled in narrow exits as flames engulfed Ujamaa primary and Furaha secondary schools.
- The disaster destroyed up to 500 nearby residential homes in the rebel-controlled city, prompting three days of public mourning.
At least 24 children have been killed and dozens more severely injured after a catastrophic fire and violent stampede swept through two schools in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Bukavu. The tragic disaster, which unfolded during morning classes on Thursday, left parents and emergency responders picking through charred ruins as aid agencies and local administrators worked to verify the total loss of life.
The blaze erupted around 9:00 a.m. local time in the northern Bagira and Cimpunda districts of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province. According to local officials and school staff, the fire originated at a nearby residential structure before rapidly engulfing Ujamaa primary school and the adjacent Furaha secondary school. Built predominantly of wooden planks along Bukavu’s steep hillsides, the structures ignited swiftly, trapping hundreds of young students inside crowded classrooms.
Inspectors from the Congolese education ministry reported that the sudden inferno triggered a desperate and violent stampede. Trapped pupils choked on dense clouds of smoke while scrambling toward narrow exit doors, causing numerous children to fall and be trampled beneath the fleeing crowd. Desperate to escape the encroaching flames, several students jumped from the upper-floor windows of the wooden school buildings.
"In the middle of class, I suddenly heard students screaming, some were jumping from the upper floors, and others were running away through the doors," recalled Simon Kasamira, a teacher at Ujamaa primary school who was admitted to a local clinic for treatment. He added that panic quickly spread throughout the neighborhood as frantic parents rushed from all directions to locate their children amidst towering plumes of smoke.
Initial casualty reports from local medical personnel noted that at least 14 children under the age of ten died in the immediate aftermath, with nurse Christophe Zigashane confirming that ten victims died at a local clinic and four others perished at the scene. However, official statements released on Friday indicated a significantly higher toll. The United Nations Children’s Agency (UNICEF) reported that at least 26 children were killed and 25 others injured, while spokespersons for the M23 armed group stated that 24 students—specifically 19 girls and five boys—had died, with 29 people receiving critical care in regional facilities.
Beyond the schools, the fire tore through the surrounding hillside community near Lake Kivu, destroying between 300 and 500 wooden residential homes along with a local medical clinic. Bukavu has been controlled by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel movement since February 2025, a context that has complicated administration and rescue coordination. Following the disaster, rebel authorities declared three days of public mourning while survivors searched the ash-covered debris for missing family members.