More than 200 people have been reported killed after a coltan mine collapsed this week in the Rubaya mining area of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said, in one of the deadliest mining disasters in the region.
The collapse occurred on Wednesday at the coltan mine in North Kivu province, an area currently under the control of the M23 rebel group. Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor, told news agencies that heavy rains triggered a landslide that caused several mine shafts to give way, burying miners, children and market traders under debris. Many bodies remain unrecovered as rescue efforts continue.
Several people were rescued with serious injuries and taken to health facilities in the nearby town of Rubaya, with the most critical to be transported to Goma, the provincial capital located about 50 kilometers away. Authorities have temporarily halted artisanal mining at the site and begun relocating residents living close to the mine.
Rubaya’s coltan mines are a significant source of coltan, a mineral processed into tantalum used in electronics such as mobile phones, computers and aerospace components, accounting for an estimated 15 % of the global supply.
The disaster highlights ongoing safety issues in informal mining operations in eastern Congo, where miners often work in poorly regulated conditions amid conflict and challenging terrain.