World
More than 20 children killed in DR Congo school fire
Officials say there was a stampede as they fled a fire that engulfed two schools in the eastern rebel-held city of Bukavu.
BBC World•
At least 24 schoolchildren have died in a stampede as they tried to flee a fire that engulfed two schools in rebel-held Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials there have said.
Adults are also reported to have died in the fire and there are fears that the death toll could rise further in the densely populated Kadutu commune.
Survivors have been taken to nearby hospitals, and footage of the scene shows children lying on hospital floors in pain.
Meanwhile the government in Kinshasa released a statement on X, without specifying numbers of casualties.