Fire kills at least 24 students in Bukavu schools after residential blaze spreads

Spread of the fire and school stampede

A fire broke out around 09:00 on Thursday, 10 September 2026, in the Kadutu and Bagira districts of Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The flames originated in nearby wooden residential houses before rapidly spreading to two adjoining school complexes, Furaha secondary school and Ujamaa primary school. Students were attending morning lessons when the blaze reached the wooden school buildings, triggering widespread panic among pupils and teachers. With exits blocked or constricted, children attempted to escape by leaping from windows and upper floors. The crush near the exits caused numerous children to suffocate or suffer fatal injuries.

Moïse Lubala, the local neighborhood administrator, described the scene at the school exits.

The exit was too narrow, so some students began jumping through windows while others rushed toward the door. As everyone tried to force their way out, students were pushed over and trampled on.

Disputed casualty tolls and medical response

Casualty figures from the disaster remain provisional as local authorities and medical workers account for victims. Lawrence Kanyuka, spokesperson for the M23 rebel administration governing Bukavu, reported that 24 students died (19 girls and five boys) and that 29 injured people were receiving care in medical facilities. Local leader Patrice Buduge stated that 27 people died and more than 500 homes were destroyed in the fire. At a nearby clinic, nurse Christophe Zigashane reported receiving roughly 50 patients, confirming 14 deaths of children under the age of 10. Medical staff at the Nyamulagira BDOM health center noted difficulties in tallying the total injured due to the volume of incoming casualties in school uniforms.

Patrice Buduge detailed the rapid escalation of panic among the trapped students.

This 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.

Neighborhood destruction and structural vulnerabilities

The blaze swept across densely populated hillside neighborhoods overlooking Lake Kivu, levelling between 300 and more than 500 wooden homes. By Thursday afternoon, residents searched through smoking debris and twisted corrugated metal sheets to locate missing relatives and assess property losses. Urban fires occur frequently in Bukavu and other Congolese cities due to wooden plank construction, narrow building spacing, and unauthorized electrical connections. Firefighting infrastructure in the region remains largely nonexistent, limiting the capacity of local emergency responders to contain fast-moving blazes.

Simon Kasamira, a teacher at Ujamaa primary school, recalled the panic during the disaster.

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.

Regional administration and crisis conditions

Bukavu has been under the control of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group since February 2025, following military advances across mineral-rich areas of South Kivu province. The armed administration has displaced central government authority and restricted local civil society groups. In Kinshasa, the Ministry of National Education and New Citizenship issued a statement offering condolences to affected families and ordering safety assessments across regional schools to ensure classes can resume. The disaster occurred while the surrounding South Kivu region contends with strained medical resources, compounded by an Ebola outbreak that has caused over 3,300 deaths from more than 6,800 confirmed cases.