Death Toll from Mine Landslide Surpasses 200 in DRC
The disaster struck Tuesday at the Rubaya mining area in North Kivu province, approximately 70 kilometers west of the provincial capital Goma, burying artisanal miners, food vendors, and small-scale traders beneath cascading earth and debris.
The Mines Ministry confirmed the scale of the catastrophe in an official statement: "The provisional toll is more than 200 people dead, including around 70 minor children. Several of the wounded were evacuated to health facilities."
Local media, citing a survivor, reported that a shaft began collapsing gradually before giving way entirely within seconds — leaving those nearby no time to escape.
The Rubaya site sits within a mineral-rich corridor containing coltan, cassiterite, gold, and tourmaline. Since 2024, the area has been under the control of M23 rebels, and the government was pointed in assigning blame — condemning the "precarious" conditions driven by the absence of state oversight and what it described as illegal mineral extraction by rebel forces.
The tragedy compounds an already devastating recent history at the site. A separate landslide at the same location in January claimed more than 400 lives, according to local media reports — raising urgent questions about accountability and the human cost of unregulated mining in conflict zones.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
