At least 22 killed in fire at wedding party in Congo’s Kinshasa

At least 22 people were killed when fire tore through a wedding party in Kinshasa, with victims carried outside as people fled the burning building.

The blaze began overnight Friday in a building in Lingwala, northern Kinshasa, and continued into the early hours of Saturday. People attending the wedding tried to help those trapped inside. Several victims, both alive and dead, were laid along the roadside as others attempted to assist the injured.

Narrow hallways became congested as people tried to escape. Several people were injured, and the mayor of Lingwala, Norbert Mushinga, told the Congolese Press Agency that the provisional death toll could rise.

Congo’s Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Jacquemin Shabani, who visited the site on Saturday morning, called the incident “a tragedy.” Authorities have not confirmed the exact cause of the fire or issued a final toll.

Deadly fires frequently occur in densely populated parts of Kinshasa, where urban development has not been matched by adequate fire services. Local media have reported several such fires in the capital this year, particularly during the dry season.

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It is a tragedy.