School fire in rebel-held east Congo city kills at least 17, sources say

DAKAR, Sept 10 - A fire at a school in Congo's rebel-controlled city of Bukavu has killed at least 17 people, including some children, local and medical sources said on Thursday.

A witness at the scene told Reuters he had helped to load 17 bodies of deceased men and children into an ambulance.

A local health centre said it had received 10 bodies of people killed in the fire. Another hospital said it had admitted more than 50 students, 14 of whom died.

Bukavu has been controlled by Rwanda-backed AFC/M23 rebels since the group staged a lightning offensive in eastern Congo last year.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

Corneille Nangaa, coordinator of the rebel alliance, told Reuters he didn't have an exact figure yet but put the death toll at around 10. REUTERS