More than 200 people killed, including approximately 70 children, when torrential rains triggered a landslide at the Rubaya coltan mine in North Kivu province
Victims were primarily artisanal miners working in unprotected hand-dug pits and small traders operating near the excavation site, with survivors describing working "without helmets, without engineers"
This marks the second major landslide at the same site in just over a year, following a January 2024 collapse that killed more than 400 people in the region
Over 200 Dead, Including 70 Children, In DR Congo Coltan Mine Landslide
Coltan is majorly mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it is essential for modern technology.
Summary
More than 200 people have been confirmed dead, dozens of them children, after a devastating landslide swept through a coltan mining site in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local officials reported Wednesday.
The disaster struck the Kasasa mining area in the Masisi territory of North Kivu province on Tuesday following hours of torrential rains. The Ministry of Mines confirmed that approximately 70 children were among the victims, while scores of injured survivors have been evacuated to medical facilities in the provincial capital, Goma.
According to local media outlet Actualite, the dead were primarily artisanal miners working in hand-dug pits, alongside small traders who had set up makeshift stalls near the excavation site to sell goods to workers.
"There were many of us in the shaft. The earth started to fall little by little... In a few seconds, everything collapsed," a survivor told reporters, speaking from a hospital bed in Goma.
Another miner described the perilous working conditions, saying workers descend into the pits "without protection, without helmets, without engineers to check the ground's stability." He added that despite the obvious dangers, "we have no alternative way to earn money."
Search and rescue operations continued Wednesday, with teams using basic tools as they dug through mud and debris in hopes of finding survivors.
Coltan (columbite-tantalite) is a dull, metallic ore crucial for high-tech electronics, primarily refined into tantalum for capacitors in smartphones, laptops, and automotive electronics, and niobium for steel alloys.
Majorly mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it is essential for modern technology.
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