Hundreds gather in eastern Congo to mourn victims of school fires

BUKAVU, Congo -- Hundreds of people gathered on Monday at a mass funeral in eastern Congo to mourn 27 young victims of a fire that engulfed two schools, as families wept and officials laid down wreaths and made speeches.A fire swept through two adjacent schools last week in the city of Bukavu in eastern Congo, triggering a stampede as students tried to flee the building. At least 27 students were killed and dozens were injured, according to local authorities. The fire Thursday started at a house before spreading to the two adjoining schools, local neighborhood administrator Moïse Lubala told The Associated Press. He said several students were trapped inside Furaha secondary school and some suffocated. The cause of the fire remains unknown, but the area is densely populated with wooden houses.Medical staff were struggling to keep track of the exact number of injured because there were so many, he said.Annunciat Kujirabwinja Zagabe came to the funeral Monday to say goodbye to her 13-year-old grandson, Tuonane Machara wa Kidogo.“The last time I spoke to him, I urged him to study hard so that one day he could become like his teachers, and he was doing well at school,” she said barely h...