Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo was plunged into mourning as 26 children who died in a school fire and ensuing stampede were laid to rest in a mass funeral.
The children were killed after a fire broke out during morning classes, triggering panic among pupils as they scrambled to escape the burning school.
Their coffins were taken to Ruzizi Cemetery, where grieving families and mourners gathered for the collective burial.
Some parents were seen crying uncontrollably and collapsing in grief, while mourners carried crosses and comforted the bereaved families.
The tragedy has left the Bukavu community mourning the loss of the children, whose lives were cut short while they were attending school.
