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FILE - A student wipes his face while his mother takes a photo of him with a sign on the first day of school at Betsy Ross Elementary School in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

A fire in Bukavu, eastern Congo, has killed at least 24 students, according to the rebel administration controlling the city. The M23 group’s spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, said 19 girls and five boys died, and 29 people are being treated at local medical facilities. The fire started at a house and spread to two schools. Local administrator Moïse Lubala said several students were trapped and some suffocated. Medical staff are struggling to track the number of injured. The cause of the fire is unknown, but the area is densely populated with wooden houses. Congo’s government struggles to control the region.

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People walk amid the charred remains of homes near a primary school and a secondary school where a fire broke out, killing several students, in Bukavu, Congo, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Janvier Barhahiga)

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People walk through smoke after a fire at a school killed several people in Bukavu, Congo, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Janvier Barhahiga)

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People stand at the site of school fire that killed several people in Bukavu, Congo, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Janvier Barhahiga)

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People walk through smoke after a fire at a school killed several people in Bukavu, Congo, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Janvier Barhahiga)

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People walk through smoke after a fire at a school killed several people in Bukavu, Congo, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Janvier Barhahiga)