More than 200 people have been killed in a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
According to Al Jazeera, Lumumba Kambere Muyisa said that the mine located some 60km (37 miles) northwest of Goma city, the provincial capital of North Kivu province, collapsed on Wednesday after a landslide.
“More than 200 people were victims of this landslide, including miners, children and market women. Some people were rescued just in time and have serious injuries,” Muyisa told the news agency Reuters, adding that about 20 injured people were being treated in health facilities.
“We are in the rainy season. The ground is fragile. It was the ground that gave way while the victims were in the hole,” he said.
Eraston Bahati Musanga, the governor of North Kivu province appointed by the M23 rebel group, confirmed to the AFP news agency that “some bodies have been recovered”.
Franck Bolingo, an artisanal miner interviewed at Rubaya by AFP, said people were believed to be still trapped inside the mine.
“It rained, then the landslide happened and swept people away. Some were buried alive, and others are still trapped in the shafts,” Bolingo said on Friday.
Rubaya produces about 15 percent of the world’s coltan, which is processed into tantalum, a heat-resistant metal that is in high demand by makers of mobile phones, computers, aerospace components and gas turbines.
The mine, where locals dig manually for a few dollars per day, has been under the control of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group since 2024, after previously changing hands between the DRC government and rebel groups.
