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A school fire in eastern DR Congo has led to a stampede that has killed at least 14 children in Bukavu.
The blaze of “unknown” origins broke out near a school in Bagira district early Thursday while students were in class.
Local leader Patrice Buduge told AFP the fire caused panic, forcing students to trample over one another or seek dangerous escape routes.
“Many of them fainted, and others lost consciousness,” Buduge said.
Health worker Christophe Zigashane said a neighbouring clinic received about 50 students, including several teachers, suffering from severe asphyxia.
“Among them, 10 were dead, and four others died at the scene. That makes a total of 14 deaths, all under 10 years old,” he said.
Zigashane said 27 people, including two teachers, had been transferred to other hospitals in critical condition.
Buduge gave a higher provisional toll of 27 deaths and said more than 500 homes had been burnt.
AFP said it could not independently verify the higher death toll with other official sources.
An AFP correspondent reported seeing large columns of smoke around the site at midday Thursday.
The fire devastated a densely populated hillside area, leaving charred homes and debris scattered across the neighbourhood.
Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, is controlled by the M23 rebel group, which has seized large areas of eastern DR Congo.
The city lies on the shores of Lake Kivu and is known for wooden plank houses built across its hillsides.
