DR Congo Mine Collapse Kills At Least 32 Miners

• At least 32 wildcat miners have died after a bridge collapsed at the Kalando cobalt mine in southeast DR Congo.

A bridge collapsed at a cobalt mine in southeast Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday, killing at least 32 miners, local authorities confirmed Sunday.

The disaster occurred at the Kalando mine, about 42 kilometres (26 miles) southeast of Kolwezi in Lualaba province, dropping miners into a flooded trench, according to provincial interior minister Roy Kaumba Mayonde. Search and rescue efforts for additional victims are ongoing.

The DRC produces over 70% of the world’s cobalt, a key mineral for electric vehicle batteries, laptops, and mobile phones. Over 200,000 people work in unregulated or illegal cobalt mines across the country.

“Despite a formal ban due to heavy rain and landslide risk, wildcat miners forced their way into the quarry,” Mayonde said.

The bridge collapsed as miners rushed across a makeshift crossing to get over a flooded area.

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A SAEMAPE report noted that the presence of soldiers at the mine caused panic. The site has long been embroiled in disputes between illegal miners, a cooperative meant to organise digging, and the legal operators, reportedly with Chinese involvement.

The report added that miners “piled on top of each other, causing deaths and injuries.” Images from the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) showed bodies being recovered from the trench, with at least 17 laid out nearby.

Arthur Kabulo, CNDH provincial coordinator, said more than 10,000 wildcat miners operate at Kalando. Provincial authorities suspended all operations at the site on Sunday.

The DRC’s cobalt industry has faced longstanding criticism over child labour, unsafe working conditions, and corruption, and its mineral wealth has fueled conflicts in the country’s east for over three decades.