At least 22 people have died after a fire tore through a wedding celebration in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The blaze broke out overnight on Friday, 4 September, at a function hall in the Lingwala district, near the National Museum of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Several other guests were injured and taken to hospitals for treatment.
Norbert Mushinga, the mayor of Lingwala, described the death toll as provisional and warned that it could rise. He said the fire occurred while the wedding ceremony was under way in a building within the grounds of the Protestant University of Congo.
As panic spread, guests struggled to escape through the building’s narrow corridors. Witnesses said the evacuation was further hindered by what appeared to be a single, narrow exit, with some people reportedly trampled in the rush to get out.
Those attending the celebration carried injured and dead victims outside, where bodies were laid along the roadside as survivors were helped. The fire also destroyed property inside the hall and left the venue badly damaged.
The cause of the fire has not been established. Local authorities said investigators would examine whether an electrical fault or decorations in the hall may have played a part.
Jacquemain Shabani, the deputy prime minister and interior minister, visited the scene on Saturday morning. The injured were taken to several medical facilities, including hospitals at Camp Kokolo, Vijana and the Cinquantenaire Hospital.
