KINSHASA, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 students were killed and several others seriously injured in fires that broke out Thursday in Bukavu, capital of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)'s South Kivu province, local media reported.
The victims were students from the Ujamaa and Furaah schools, who died in a stampede while trying to flee the flames, according to the reports. Several other people suffering from smoke inhalation were receiving medical treatment, while some of the injured were reported to be in serious condition.
The death toll remains provisional, and the cause of the fires was not immediately known.
Bukavu is currently under the control of the Movement of March 23 (AFC/M23) rebel group. ■