At least 22 people have died after a fire tore through a wedding celebration in the Democratic Republic of Congo, turning what should have been a joyful night into a horrifying tragedy.
The blaze broke out Friday and continued into the early hours of Saturday inside a building in Lingwala, a northern district of the capital city, Kinshasa.
Guests reportedly became trapped as they desperately tried to escape through the building’s narrow hallways.
In the chaotic aftermath, survivors and other attendees carried the injured and the dead outside, laying victims along the roadside before rushing back to help others still trying to escape.
Photos from the scene showed the building badly burned across two floors, with the exterior blackened by flames.
Inside, little was left untouched. Tables, chairs and wedding decorations were reduced to charred remains.
Lingwala Mayor Norbert Mushinga told the Congolese Press Agency that the provisional death toll stood at 22, but warned that the number could rise in the coming days.
Several people were also injured while fleeing the burning building and were taken to hospitals in the surrounding area.
The exact cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed.
Authorities are reportedly looking at several possibilities, including an electrical problem or wedding decorations that may have helped the flames spread.
Jacquemin Shabani, Congo’s deputy prime minister and interior minister, visited the site on Sept. 5.
“It is a tragedy,” he said.
Deadly fires are a recurring problem in densely populated parts of Kinshasa, where rapid urban growth and limited fire-safety infrastructure can make emergencies especially dangerous.
The risk is even higher during the dry season, when fires can spread quickly. Congolese media has reported several major fires in the city this year.
Officials are continuing to investigate the cause of the blaze as families mourn the victims of what was supposed to be a wedding celebration.
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