Families in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, have laid to rest children killed in a devastating school fire and the stampede that followed.
Africanews reported that mourners gathered at Ruzizi cemetery on Monday as coffins were brought for burial, with relatives, Red Cross workers and members of the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group attending the ceremony.
UNICEF says at least 26 children died in the September 10 blaze and subsequent stampede. The tragedy struck while pupils were in lessons in the densely populated eastern city, where fires are a recurring danger because of tightly packed housing and limited access for emergency vehicles.
Residents used the funeral to call for safer urban planning and better access for fire engines. The precise circumstances surrounding the fire and stampede remain under investigation.
Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, has been under the control of the Rwanda-backed M23 movement since February 2025.
Source: Africanews. Africanews cited AP and AFP reporting.
