At least 200 killed in Coltan mine collapse in eastern DR Congo

More than 200 people were killed in a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor of the province told Reuters on Friday.

Lumumba Kambere Muyisa said the collapse happened on Wednesday and that victims included miners, children and market women. He said 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,” Muyisa said.

An adviser to the governor, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media, said the number of confirmed dead was at least 227. The precise toll remained unclear as of Friday evening.

Rubaya produces around 15 per cent of the world’s coltan, which is processed into tantalum, a heat-resistant metal used in mobile phones, computers, aerospace components and gas turbines. The site, where locals dig manually for a few dollars per day, has been under the control of the AFC/M23 rebel group since 2024.

The United Nations says AFC/M23 has plundered Rubaya’s resources to help fund its insurgency, backed by the government of neighbouring Rwanda, an allegation Kigali denies.

The heavily armed rebels, whose stated aim is to overthrow the government in Kinshasa and ensure the safety of the Congolese Tutsi minority, captured more mineral-rich territory in eastern Congo during an advance last year.

SOURCE: Reuters