Congo mine collapse kills more than 200
More than 200 people have been killed in a mine collapse in rebel-held eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). The mine is located in the Rubaya area of North Kivu province, Lumumba Kambere Muisa, a spokesman for the province’s rebel-backed governor, told Reuters. The coltan mine, located about 60 km northwest of the city of Goma, collapsed on Wednesday. The exact number of casualties could not be confirmed as of Friday evening.
“The landslide affected more than 200 people, including miners, children and women working in the market. Some people have been rescued, but many of them are in critical condition. At least 20 of the injured are being treated in health centers,” Muisa said. “It is the rainy season. The ground is soft and weak. The victims were inside the mine when the landslide occurred.”
Erasto Bahati Musanga, the governor of North Kivu province, where the M23 rebel group is based, told AFP on Sunday that some bodies had been recovered. He did not give an exact number of dead or injured, but indicated the death toll was much higher. An adviser to the provincial governor, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the death toll had exceeded 200. AFP could not confirm the death toll as of late yesterday.
