A wedding fire in Congo claimed the lives of at least 22 people
Kyiv • UNN
At least 22 people were killed in a wedding fire in Kinshasa. The cause of the blaze has not yet been established, and the death toll may rise.
At least 22 people were killed in a fire at a wedding in Kinshasa, the capital of the Congo. The region’s mayor said this on Saturday, UNN reports, citing AP.
Several other people were injured in the fire, which began overnight Thursday and continued into the early hours of Saturday in a building in Lingwala in northern Kinshasa.
Several people—some alive and some dead—lay by the side of the road as attendees tried to help those who were still alive. Narrow corridors were packed with people trying to escape the fire.
The mayor of Lingwala, Norbert Mushinga, told the Congolese News Agency that the preliminary death toll was 22. He noted that the number of victims could rise further.
The exact cause of the fire has not been confirmed. "It is a tragedy," said Jacquemain Shabani, Congo’s deputy prime minister and interior minister. The minister visited the scene on Saturday morning.
Deadly fires are common in the densely populated areas of Kinshasa, where urban development is not accompanied by services such as fire protection. According to local media reports, fires are common during the dry season, and several have occurred this year.