More than 200 killed in mine collapse in eastern DR Congo: Report

Rights groups raised concerns implicit conditions astatine the mine, which supplies astir 15 percent of the world’s coltan utilized successful precocious electronics.

More than 200 radical person been reported killed successful a illness astatine the Rubaya coltan excavation successful eastbound Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, spokesperson for the rebel-appointed politician of the state wherever the excavation is located, told the Reuters quality agency.

The mine, located immoderate 60km (37 miles) northwest of Goma city, the provincial superior of North Kivu province, collapsed connected Wednesday, and the precise fig of casualties was inactive unclear arsenic of Friday evening, Reuters reports.

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“More than 200 radical were victims of this landslide, including miners, children and marketplace women. Some radical were rescued conscionable successful clip and person superior injuries,” Muyisa told Reuters, adding that astir 20 injured radical were being treated successful wellness facilities.

“We are successful the rainy season. The crushed is fragile. It was the crushed that gave mode portion the victims were successful the hole,” helium said.

Eraston Bahati Musanga, the politician of North Kivu state appointed by the M23 rebel group, told the AFP quality bureau connected Friday that “some bodies person been recovered”, without giving a circumstantial fig of the fig of those killed and injured, but suggesting a perchance precocious decease toll.

An advisor to the provincial politician enactment the decease toll astatine much than 200, speaking connected information of anonymity to Reuters due to the fact that helium was not authorised to little the media.

AFP said it was incapable to corroborate the decease toll with autarkic sources arsenic of Friday evening.

Franck Bolingo, an artisanal miner interviewed astatine Rubaya by AFP, said radical are believed to inactive beryllium trapped wrong the mine.

“It rained, past the landslide happened and swept radical away. Some were buried alive, and others are inactive trapped successful the shafts,” Bolingo said.

Rubaya produces astir 15 percent of the world’s coltan, which is processed into tantalum, a heat-resistant metallic that is successful precocious request by makers of mobile phones, computers, aerospace components and state turbines.

The mine, wherever locals excavation manually for a fewer dollars per day, has been nether the power of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel radical since 2024, aft antecedently changing hands betwixt the DRC authorities and rebel groups.

The heavily-armed M23 rebels, whose stated purpose is to overthrow the DRC authorities successful the superior Kinshasa, captured adjacent much mineral-rich territory successful the eastbound of the state during a lightning beforehand past year.

The United Nations has accused M23 rebels of plundering Rubaya’s resources to assistance money their rebellion, backed by Rwanda, an allegation that the authorities successful Kigali denies.

Despite the DRC’s exceptional mineral wealth, much than 70 percent of Congolese unrecorded connected little than $2.15 a day.