26 students killed in east DR Congo fire

The death toll from a fire that broke out Thursday in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu Province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has risen to 26 primary school students, local media reported, citing hospital sources.



According to the reports, the 26 bodies were taken to local hospitals, while other students suffering from smoke inhalation were receiving treatment at several hospitals.



Earlier, Lawrence Kanyuka, spokesperson for the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group, which currently controls Bukavu, put the provisional death toll at 24, including 19 girls and five boys. Kanyuka also said 29 people had been injured, including 21 who were receiving intensive care.



Kanyuka said that the fire broke out in a neighborhood of the city, destroying several houses before spreading rapidly to two nearby primary schools. Rescue teams were deployed to the scene and later brought the blaze under control, preventing it from spreading further to other residential buildings.