Officials reported conflicting death tolls after the Panacée hall fire as investigators examined the blaze, evacuation problems and venue safety.
KINSHASA, Congo — A fire during a wedding celebration in Congo’s capital killed numerous people and injured others overnight Friday into Saturday, prompting an investigation and an order for nationwide inspections of reception halls as authorities worked to reconcile sharply differing casualty figures.
The fire broke out at the Panacée reception hall in Lingwala, a commune in northern Kinshasa, during the night of Sept. 4 into Sept. 5. Lingwala Mayor Norbert Mushiga Nzindula initially reported a provisional death toll of 22, a figure also carried by the Congolese Press Agency and other news organizations. Later Saturday, however, the Kinshasa provincial government said its provisional count was about 10 deaths. Sources at Congo’s Interior Ministry later told Actualite.cd that 15 people had died. No final, reconciled toll had been announced by late Saturday.
The conflicting numbers underscored the difficulty officials faced in establishing the scale of the disaster while victims were taken to hospitals across the city. Mushiga said injured guests were transported to several medical facilities, including Vijana Hospital, Cinquantenaire Hospital and the hospital at Camp Kokolo. Authorities said they were checking hospitals and other medical centers as they tried to establish an accurate count of the dead and injured.
The blaze erupted inside a hall on the first floor of a commercial building along Boulevard Triomphal, near the National Museum of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Witnesses and local officials described a chaotic evacuation after smoke and flames spread through the venue. Mushiga said accounts gathered after the fire indicated that guests had difficulty escaping because the available exit was too narrow for the number of people trying to leave at once.
A survivor interviewed by the Congolese Press Agency described panic as guests rushed for the exit. The witness said the crowd became difficult to control after smoke and flames appeared and that some people were knocked down as others tried to escape. Authorities have not issued a final determination explaining how each person died, and the precise role of the fire, smoke and resulting crowd surge remained under investigation.
The cause of the fire also remained undetermined. Mushiga said investigators were expected to examine the building’s electrical system and decorations inside the reception hall, but officials had not confirmed either as the source of the blaze. Police technical and scientific teams were sent to the scene to begin examining the damaged building and determine how the fire started and spread.
Mushiga said an inspection after the fire raised concerns about safety conditions at the venue, particularly its evacuation arrangements. The mayor said the hall did not meet required safety standards and indicated that authorities planned to review conditions at other event venues. Those findings were preliminary and were expected to be examined further as part of the official investigation.
Among those publicly identified as having died was Guy Kitoko Aloma, a cameraman with Congo’s national broadcaster, Radio-Télévision nationale congolaise. The Congolese Press Agency reported that the National Union of Cameramen of Congo confirmed his death. Authorities had not released a complete official list of the people killed or injured. Mushiga said the newly married couple survived the fire, although the bride was traumatized by the event.
Congo’s deputy prime minister and interior minister, Jacquemain Shabani Lukoo, visited the site Saturday with provincial and security officials. Later, Shabani ordered governors across the country to begin systematic inspections of reception halls and other venues used for public gatherings and recreational activities. His directive called for the General Directorate of Civil Protection and security services to participate in the inspections and ordered the immediate closure of establishments that fail to meet safety requirements.
The Interior Ministry directive also called for a report on safety conditions in Kinshasa within 15 days. The Kinshasa government said it would strengthen preventive and safety measures at establishments open to the public. The action came as officials cited recurring deadly fires and concerns about emergency protections in the rapidly growing capital.
By late Saturday, investigators had not announced the cause of the Panacée fire, and authorities had not settled on a definitive casualty count. The city government’s estimate of about 10 deaths, the Interior Ministry sources’ figure of 15 and the mayor’s earlier count of 22 remained unreconciled as officials continued checking hospitals and investigating the scene.
Author note: Last updated September 5, 2026.