Fire at wedding party in Congo's capital Kinshasa kills at least 22

At least 22 people were killed and several others injured after a fire broke out during a wedding party in Congo's capital Kinshasa, the regional mayor said on Saturday.

The fire began on Friday night and continued into the early hours of Saturday at a building in Lingwala, in northern Kinshasa. People trying to escape were forced through the building's narrow hallways, which became congested.

As attendees attempted to help those trapped, several people, both alive and dead, were placed along the roadside.

Lingwala Mayor Norbert Mushinga told the Congolese Press Agency that the provisional death toll had reached 22 and warned that the number could increase.

The cause of the fire had not been confirmed. Congo's Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Jacquemin Shabani, who visited the site on Saturday morning, described the incident as a tragedy.

Deadly fires are frequent in densely populated parts of Kinshasa, where urban development often takes place without adequate infrastructure such as fire services.

Local media reported that fires are particularly common during the dry season and that several such incidents have occurred this year.  (with inputs from Associated Press)