Kinshasa – At least two fires broke out yesterday, September 10, in Bukavu, capital of South Kivu, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is currently occupied by M23 rebels backed by Rwandan forces.
According to local sources who spoke to Fides, the most serious incident occurred in the Cimpunda neighborhood, along Kasheke Avenue, where at least 27 students lost their lives and many others were seriously injured.
The victims, students at Ujamaa and Furaha schools, died in the stampede as they tried to escape the rapidly advancing flames and the smoke from the fire. According to our sources, the fire broke out at around 8 a.m. in a private home and quickly spread to the two adjacent schools.
“On that hill there are hundreds of wooden houses, built right next to one another. There are no roads and no water, and there are no firefighters. The two schools were surrounded by fire. In the chaos as they tried to escape, several students fell and were trampled by the crowd, while others suffered smoke inhalation.” Many students managed to escape and are now being treated in hospital, together with several teachers.
At least 500 homes were destroyed in the fire.
As for the cause of the fire, our sources say it is not yet known, although several hypoyheses can be considered. “First of all, many people make a living by selling petrol along the streets, which they store in their homes. There are also exposed electrical wires that can produce sparks. Someone may have forgotten to extinguish the charcoal used for cooking. In short, there could be many possible causes of the fire,” our sources say.
“Moreover,” they add, “we are still in the dry season. We have not seen rain since the beginning of May. In addition to the dry grass, strong trade winds blow during this season, which fuelled the flames.”
Fides sources conclude by noting that around ten fires have already broken out in Bukavu this year. A second fire broke out in the Panzi area yesterday afternoon.
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