Fire at Kinshasa wedding party leaves at least 22 dead

Environment

Fire at Kinshasa wedding party leaves at least 22 dead

46 minutes ago

News sources:

INDIATIMES 2

LATIMES

SCMP

Fire at Kinshasa wedding party leaves at least 22 dead

Credited from: SCMP

At least 22 people have died in a wedding party fire in Kinshasa, Congo.
The fire occurred late Friday night and continued into Saturday morning.
Narrow hallways hampered escape efforts for attendees.
The cause of the fire remains unconfirmed.
Similar deadly fires have been frequent in the densely populated area of Kinshasa.

At least 22 people were killed in a fire at a wedding party in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to IndiaTimes. The fire broke out late Friday night and continued into early Saturday morning in a building located in the Lingwala district. Several others sustained injuries during the incident.

The narrow hallways of the building became congested as attendees attempted to escape the flames, leading to numerous casualties, as reported by Los Angeles Times and South China Morning Post. Mayor Norbert Mushinga indicated that the initial death toll may rise.

The exact cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Deputy Prime Minister Jacquemin Shabani described the situation as a tragedy and visited the site shortly thereafter, according to IndiaTimes and Los Angeles Times. Deadly fires are reportedly common in Kinshasa's densely populated areas, especially during the dry season.