At least 22 killed in fire at wedding party in Congo’s Kinshasa
A fire at a wedding party in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, has resulted in at least 22 deaths. Authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze, which occurred in a densely populated area lacking adequate fire services.
Why it matters
The incident highlights critical urban safety and infrastructure deficits in rapidly growing African cities.
At least 22 people were killed in a fire at a wedding party in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the mayor of the city’s Lingwala district said on Saturday.The fire broke out overnight Friday and continued into the early hours of Saturday in a building in Lingwala, in northern Kinshasa. Several other people were injured.The mayor of Lingwala, Norbert Mushinga, told the Congolese Press Agency that the provisional death toll was 22 and warned that it could rise further.Victims carried out as people fledAs the fire spread, people attending the wedding tried to help those trapped inside.
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