Tragic Blaze Claims 22 Lives at Wedding Venue as Guests Become Trapped by Narrow Exits

THIS is the horrifying moment a huge fire rips through a wedding party in a tragedy that has left 22 people dead and several more injured.

Shocking footage shows the first sparks fly and set fire to the roof before fiery red flames shoot from the building in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Guests scrambled to escape as the blaze spread through the venue on Friday night.

But people reportedly became jammed in the narrow corridors, choking on the spiralling smoke as they tried to flee.

Firefighters raced to battle the blaze – but the fire raged until the early hours of Saturday morning.

Survivors trapped inside were rescued by emergency services while the bodies of the dead were carried outside and laid along the roadside.

Norbert Mushinga, mayor of the Lingwala district in Kinshasa, confirmed that the death toll currently stands at 22 – but warned that it could rise as more people are pulled out of the wreckage.

Harrowing videos show the gutted insides of the wedding venue which was utterly destroyed and strewn with ash and smashed furniture.

Two large windows exploded in the heat – and dramatic photos show that only the metal frames of chairs and tables remain.

Mayor Nzindula slammed the lack of safety measures, saying: “We have just inspected the venue here, and it is clear that the [safety] norms are not being respected.

“Even the emergency exit: as you can see, people had difficulty getting to safety; everyone was in a state of panic.

“This is regrettable, so we are going to take action, and the authorities will implement measures for other function venues within my jurisdiction and throughout the city and province of Kinshasa.”

Congo’s deputy prime minister Jacquemin Shabani also visited the scene of the deadly inferno on Saturday morning, hailing the fire as a “tragedy”.

A probe has been launched to investigate the cause of the fire with initial theories suggesting one of the wedding decorations may have malfunctioned.

Dense populations and rapid, poorly managed construction makes Kinshasa a hotspot for deadly blazes.

Incidents soar during the dry season and the capital has already suffered multiple serious fires this year, according to local media.

Elsewhere in the Congo families of Ebola victims have fter officials refused to hand over the body of their loved ones.

Crowds gathered outside the Rwampara Hospital, in the Ituri province, in May to demand the remains of a young man for burial.

Local politician Luc Malembe told reporters: “When they were denied the bodies of their relatives, they set fire to several tents sheltering patients, prompting to fire teargas and warning shots.”

Footage circulating on social media shows the tents burning, with plumes of grey smoke rising into the sky.