Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo say the death toll from a landslide at a coltan mining site in the country’s east has exceeded 200, with the figure expected to rise in the coming days.
The landslide occurred on Tuesday in the Rubaya mining area of North Kivu, burying miners, food vendors and other small-scale traders, including around 70 children.
The Ministry of Mines of the Democratic Republic of the Congo confirmed the incident in a statement, saying: “The provisional toll is more than 200 people dead, including around 70 minor children. Several of the wounded were evacuated to health facilities.”
Most of the victims were artisanal miners working in the coltan-rich site located about 70 kilometres west of Goma, the provincial capital.
Local media, citing a miner who survived the accident, reported that a mining shaft began collapsing slowly before suddenly giving way, burying dozens of people within seconds.
The mining area, known for deposits of coltan, cassiterite, gold and tourmaline, has reportedly been under the control of the March 23 Movement since 2024.
Government officials blamed the disaster partly on “precarious” mining conditions caused by the absence of state authority and the illegal exploitation of minerals at the site by armed groups.
The incident follows another deadly accident at the same site in January that reportedly killed more than 400 people, according to local media reports.
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