More than 20 people are dead and others are injured after a fire broke out at a wedding.
The incident took place at a party hall in Lingwala, an area in the northern part of Kinshasa, Congo’s capital city, on the evening of Friday, Sept. 4, the Associated Press and the Congolese Press Agency (ACP) reported, citing an official statement from the local mayor’s office.
In a statement to the ACP, Norbert Mushinga, the mayor of Lingwala, said 22 people were killed in the fire. He added, “This figure could rise.”
Injuries were also reported, and those injured were “transported to various hospital facilities” in the area, Mushinga said, per the ACP.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, though authorities suspect it could have been an electrical issue or connected to wedding decorations at the venue, the ACP reported, citing the Kinshasa government, the city’s municipal authority.
Guy Kitoko Aloma, a cameraman for the Congolese National Radio and Television (RTNC), who was attending the wedding as a guest, was among those killed, according to the ACP.
No additional information about the victims has been released at this time.
Congo’s deputy prime minister and interior minister, Jacquemin Shabani, visited the site of the fire the morning of Sept. 5, calling it “a tragedy,” per the AP.
The outlet reported that deadly fires are not uncommon in Kinshasa, as the city is densely populated and lacks adequate fire safety infrastructure and services.