Bukavu Mourns 27 Students Killed in School Fire as Families Demand Safety
Hundreds attended a mass funeral in Bukavu for 27 students killed in a school fire that also injured dozens, as officials pledged action to prevent future tragedies.
Hundreds of mourners filled a funeral service in Bukavu on Monday to bid farewell to 27 students killed when a fire tore through two adjoining schools last week, local authorities said. Wreaths were laid and speeches delivered as grieving families wept for the young victims.
The blaze broke out on Thursday at a house before spreading to the two neighbouring schools, according to Moïse Lubala, the neighbourhood administrator. Several students were trapped inside Furaha secondary school, and some suffocated as a stampede erupted while pupils tried to escape. The cause of the fire has not been established, though the area is densely populated with wooden homes. Medical staff struggled to track the exact number of injured because so many needed care.
Among the mourners was Annunciat Kujirabwinja Zagabe, who came to say goodbye to her 13-year-old grandson, Tuonane Machara wa Kidogo. She recalled urging him to study hard so he might one day become like his teachers, and described his steady progress through school without ever failing a year. "He left home for school and simply died," she said, her voice breaking.
Teacher Alice Ambika Musafiri wept as she recounted the children's cries for help. She remembered one calling out that they were being trampled, and her own helpless reply to wait until she had carried another child to safety. Despite her efforts, some students were suffocated by the crowd. "I had no way to save you," she said, overcome by grief.
Bukavu has been under the control of M23 rebels since February 2025, and Congo's government has long struggled to assert authority over the east, where more than 100 armed groups compete for control of mineral wealth vital to global technology supply chains. Health services in the region are already severely strained by the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, which has killed more than 3,300 people among over 6,800 confirmed cases.
At the funeral, Corneille Nangaa, leader of the political-military coalition Alliance Fleuve Congo, which includes M23, promised measures to protect schoolchildren from future fires. He said that while many events are God's will, others stem from idleness and human error, and urged residents of Bukavu and the wider DRC to take action to limit such damage through their own choices.