HUNDREDS of people gathered on Monday at a mass funeral in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to mourn 27 young victims of a fire that engulfed two schools.

A fire swept through two adjacent schools in the city of Bukavu last Thursday, triggering a stampede. At least 27 students were killed and dozens injured, according to local authorities.

The fire began at a house before spreading to the two adjoining schools, said local neighbourhood administrator Moise Lubala. 

He said that several students had been trapped inside Furaha secondary school and some had 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.

At the funeral on Monday, families wept and officials laid wreaths and made speeches.

Annunciat Kujirabwinja Zagabe lost her teenage 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.

“He left home for school and simply died. It is horrific.”