Democratic Republic of Congo DRC: Many killed in coltan mine disaster in east rebels-
At least 200 were killed when mines collapsed at a coltan mining site in eastern Congo this week, rebel authorities say. The Rubaya mines, where the disaster occurred, supply a key metal for smartphones and computers.
Several coltan mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province collapsed amid landslides on Wednesday and Thursday, killing at least 200 people and injuring several others, according to authorities associated with the M23 rebel group.
“For now, there are more than 200 dead, some of whom are still in the mud and have not yet been recovered,” Lubumba Kambere Muyisa, spokesperson for the rebel-appointed provincial governor said on Friday.
Muyisa said the dead included miners, children and market women.
The toll could not yet be independently verified by agencies.
What do we know about the Rubaya mine disaster?
Scavengers said part of a hillside in the Rubaya mining zone collapsed on Wednesday afternoon and that a second landslide struck on Thursday morning.
“It rained, then the landslide followed and swept people away. Some were buried and others are still in the pits,” freelance miner Franck Bolingo told AFP news agency.
Muyisas said the governor had temporarily halted artisanal mining on the site and ordered the relocation of residents who had built shelters near the mine.
DRC: Many killed in coltan mine disaster in east — rebels
At least 200 were killed when mines collapsed at a coltan mining site in eastern Congo this week, rebel authorities say. The Rubaya mines, where the disaster occurred, supply a key metal for smartphones and computers.
