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Wedding fire kills at least 22 in Democratic Republic of Congo

From El Nacional · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources Ongoing story
  • At least 22 people died and many others were hospitalized after a fire broke out during a wedding celebration in Kinshasa, local authorities said.
  • The fire started at the Panacée reception hall on the first floor of a commercial building, which apparently had only one narrow exit.
  • The cause remained unknown, while smoke and panic complicated the evacuation and the blaze heavily damaged the building and its contents.

At least 22 people died when fire broke out during a wedding celebration in Kinshasa, turning a night of festivities into a deadly evacuation. Many others were taken to emergency departments at hospitals in the capital, local authorities said.

The fire struck the Panacée reception hall on the first floor of a commercial building along Triomphal Boulevard, one of Kinshasa's main arteries. The venue was in the Lingwala district, whose local mayor, Norbert Mushiga Nzindula, gave the provisional death toll on the morning of Sept. 5, 2026.

The provisional toll this morning, Sept. 5, 2026, is 22, with many injured admitted to emergency departments at several hospitals in the area.

· Norbert Mushiga NzindulaThe mayor of Lingwala gave the initial death toll and reported that many injured people were receiving hospital treatment.

The escape was made more difficult by the building's layout. The hall apparently had only one exit, and the door was too narrow to allow a large number of people to leave at once. "The panic that resulted could explain the high number of deaths. The smoke also prevented them from getting out," Nzindula said. He added that authorities did not yet know what caused the fire.

The blaze also caused extensive property damage. Objects inside the building were "completely burned," according to the mayor. Images published by Congolese media showed the venue engulfed in flames and the building blackened the following morning, with part of the facade burned and chairs and round tables visible inside.

The panic that resulted could explain the high number of deaths. The smoke also prevented them from getting out.

· Norbert Mushiga NzindulaThe mayor described the conditions that complicated the evacuation.
About this summary

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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