DR CONGO: Electrical short causes fire killing three children in army base, say military sources

Record ID: 788925

  • Title: DR CONGO: Electrical short causes fire killing three children in army base, say military sources
  • Date: 20th October 2011
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS CARRYING DEAD CHILDREN
  • Embargoed: 4th November 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Congo
  • Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of
  • Topics: Accidents,Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVA854MAEHI22ECHHHFRGIHVB4R6
  • Story Text: Three children lost their lives to a fire that ripped through an army base in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Bukavu region on Wednesday (October 19) according to military officials.
    Witnesses and civil society groups however say that the fire caused by an electrical short and exacerbated by the heavy rains claimed the lives of more than ten, including four children.
    Some residents of the base where some 500 soldiers and their families live blamed the central government for not providing the infrastructure to deal with such situations.
    'The rain water hurts us. Today, it was the electricity. It's a problem obtaining our salary. Where is the government?,'' said Sifa Nabintu, the wife of a resident soldier.
    The fire which began at the early hours of the morning on Wednesday (October 19) engulfed houses and tents.
    "I just spent 15 years in the army. The suffering we just experience is unprecedented. We are back at square one with our lives. I'm a driver, I studied but my diploma went up in flames. What about the houses we built in the camp? Isn't my nose that of a Congolese? Is it only the Rwandese who are entitles to housing? Our children just died here,'' said Kijabwami Mirindi, a soldier at the base.
    Soldiers at the base, some who have been its residents for more than 15 years were quick to point the finger at the country's electricity provider SNEL for power outages.
    'The SNEL gives us electricity at two in the morning, and cuts it at five. What's the point? We want to know if the SNEL will take the responsibility for the lives of these families, all these children that just perished. Go there with your camera. Go see all the children that died,'' said Amuli Kalekuzi.
    "We don't know what the authorities are doing. If they feel the need to kill people, let them come out and say it. Children died. We are poor and we don't know what to do,'' said Pomba Kaka, another soldier.
    As United Nations peacekeepers used buckets to extinguish the flames, Army Commander General Pacifique Masunzu toured the burned out area, saying that fortunately the fire did not cause explosions in ammunition dumps.
    "The fire started due to an electrical short circuit. There are burnt houses, tents and we've already lost three people. Their bodies are visible. Military equipment is still here, it didn't burn even though we did hear gunfire. They were just small arms inside soldiers' houses,'' said Masunzu.
    After visiting the scene of the tragedy, south Kivu's interim governor, Jean Claude Kibala, attempted to appease Bukavu's population saying that he would take measures to insure that such disasters do not reoccur, but admitted they didn'r really have the facilities to cope with the problem.
    "We are proposing a solution so that this problemonce and for all." Kibal said, "You can see that what we are using as fire engines are merely trucks that are used to clean up toilets and sceptic tanks. There are issues to be discussed in order to find a solution, or else, we will not be able to justify certain things to our people,'' Kibala said.
    Army Commander Masunzu said that the 500 base residents would be relocated from the ravaged military camp.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register