At least 26 students have been killed after a massive fire tore through two schools in eastern Congo, trapping children inside and triggering a desperate rush for the exits.
The blaze erupted Thursday, Sept. 10, in Bukavu, a city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that has been controlled by M23 rebels since February 2025.
Early reports from the rebel administration put the death toll at 24, including 19 girls and five boys. But South Kivu provincial authorities later said at least 26 students had died — 19 girls and seven boys — and warned the number could still rise.
The fire reportedly began in a nearby home before quickly spreading to Furaha secondary school and Ujamaa primary school.
The neighborhood is densely packed, with many homes built from wood, allowing the flames to spread rapidly. Reuters reported that around 300 wooden homes were also destroyed.
Several students were trapped inside Furaha secondary school, and some suffocated before they could escape, local neighborhood administrator Moïse Lubala told the Associated Press.
As panic spread, students rushed toward an exit that was reportedly too narrow to handle the crowd.
Some children began jumping from windows while others pushed toward the doorway.
“As everyone tried to force their way out, students were pushed over and trampled on,” Lubala said.
Boys and girls of different ages from both schools were rushed to the Nyamulagira BDOM health center, many still wearing their school uniforms.
Nurse Ciza Jean-Baptiste said medical workers were struggling to determine exactly how many people had been injured because so many victims were arriving at once.
The rebel administration initially said 29 people were receiving treatment. Reuters later reported that 21 of those patients were in intensive care. One hospital said it had admitted more than 50 injured students, 14 of whom died, while another medical facility reported receiving 10 bodies.
Witness Pierre Mudahama said children had only recently arrived at school when the fire broke out nearby.
Ambulances rushed to the area to carry away the dead and injured as flames consumed buildings.
The fire had been extinguished by Thursday afternoon, but smoke was reportedly still rising from piles of rubble and twisted metal.
The exact cause of the blaze has not been determined, and officials said an investigation is underway.
The tragedy comes amid continuing instability in eastern Congo.
M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, seized control of Bukavu during a rapid offensive in early 2025. Congo’s central government has struggled for years to maintain control over the mineral-rich eastern region, where more than 100 armed groups are fighting for territory and access to valuable resources used in technology around the world.
The disaster is also putting further pressure on an already strained health system.
Eastern Congo is battling a severe Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 3,300 people, with more than 6,800 confirmed cases recorded.