BUKAVU, Congo — Hundreds of people gathered on Monday at a mass funeral in eastern Congo to mourn 27 young victims of a fire that engulfed two schools, as families wept and officials laid down wreaths and made speeches.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, but the area is densely populated with wooden houses. “That is why I am in such deep distress. I remember his journey through school up to the eighth grade without ever failing a single year, and now, he has died just like that, without even falling ill. He left home for school and simply died. It is horrific. Corneille Nangaa, leader of the political-military coalition Alliance Fleuve Congo, or AFC, which includes M23, promised measures to protect school children from future fires.
The fire Thursday started at a house before spreading to the two adjoining schools, local neighborhood administrator Moïse Lubala told The Associated Press. He said several students were trapped inside Furaha secondary school and some suffocated. “The last time I spoke to him, I urged him to study hard so that one day he could become like his teachers, and he was doing well at school,” she said barely holding back tears, as her voice broke down.
