Fire in Eastern Congo Kills at Least 24 Children

A fire in the rebel-controlled city of Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed at least 24 children and destroyed two schools and about 300 wooden homes.

The victims included 19 girls and five boys, according to Dunia Masumbuko Bwenge, vice governor of South Kivu province. He serves in the administration appointed by the Rwanda-backed AFC/M23 rebel movement, which seized control of the city during a rapid offensive early last year.

According to rebel authorities, the death toll was preliminary and an investigation into the cause of the fire was under way. Twenty-nine people are receiving medical care, 21 of them in intensive care. Residents and health workers warned that the death toll could rise further.

A local health center received 10 bodies, while another hospital admitted more than 50 students, 14 of whom died. One man described helping to load 17 bodies into an ambulance.

The fire was extinguished by the afternoon, although white smoke continued to rise from the rubble and twisted metal. A witness said the blaze broke out shortly after the children arrived at school.

(Reuters, bak)