Thousands of historic artefacts have been destroyed in the Congolese town of Gungu after a private museum burnt to ashes.
The objects at the National Museum of Gungu represent one of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s most important collections, says the BBC’s Emery Makumeno in the capital, Kinshasa.
At least 8,000 or 9,000 items dating back to the end of the 18th Century were ruined.
The cause of the fire is still unclear.
A museum guard noticed the building was burning at around 23:00 on Thursday night, according to a local official quoted in Congolese media.
Franck Gatola Mungiela is calling on the Ministry of Art and Culture as well as the Interior and Security Ministry to investigate the cause of the fire in Gungu, some 650km (400 miles) south-east of the capital, in Kwilu province.
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