India, Sept. 11 -- A fire swept through two adjacent schools Thursday in the city of Bukavu in eastern Congo, killing at least 26 students and injuring dozens, the provincial government said.

The South Kivu provincial government said in a press release that 19 girls and seven boys were killed, adding that the death toll could rise.

The spokesperson for rebel M23 group that controls the city, Lawrence Kanyuka, said earlier that 24 students were killed and 29 people were being treated at local medical facilities.

The fire started at a house before spreading to the two adjoining schools, local neighborhood administrator Moise Lubala told The Associated Press.

He said several students were trapped inside Furaha secondary school and some s...