Dozens Dead in DR congo Mine Collapse Following Bridge Failure
At least 32 unauthorized miners died on Saturday when a makeshift bridge collapsed at the Kalando cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of congo, local officials reported.The incident occurred after military personnel guarding the site allegedly fired upon the miners as thay attempted to force thier way onto the property, prompting a panicked rush across the unstable structure.
Roy Kaumba Mayonde,a local official,stated the miners had been banned from the site but entered anyway. According to the government mining agency SAEMAPE, the gunfire triggered the collapse as miners scrambled to cross the bridge. The military has yet to respond to the allegation of firing upon the miners.
The bridge had been constructed by the miners themselves and was unable to support the weight of a large number of people crossing it “hastily,” mayonde explained, calling the collapse “tragic.” He added that mining companies in DR Congo are “frequently victims of this type of invasion of their concessions by illegal miners.”
Journalist Olivier Kayumba, who visited the scene on Sunday, reported that two injured miners sustained bullet wounds – one to the thigh and another to the hand.However, Mayonde stated no fatalities resulted from gunshot injuries, though he did not address reports of non-fatal bullet wounds.
The disaster highlights the dangers faced by the estimated 1.5 to 2 million people working in DR Congo’s unregulated artisanal mining sector, which supplies the global demand for cobalt, copper, and other minerals. Images circulating on social media, though unverified by the BBC, appear to show the bodies of the deceased.
Congolese authorities have urged artisanal miners to consider government-sponsored training programs in agribusiness as an option livelihood.
DR Congo is the world’s leading supplier of cobalt, a critical component in batteries for electric vehicles and with applications in defence and aerospace. The country’s cobalt mining industry has faced ongoing scrutiny regarding child labor, human rights abuses, and corruption.
Additional reporting by Emery Makumeno in Kinshasa.
