- By Reporter
Mine collapse in DR Congo kills 50
By Our Reporter
September 13, 2020 - No fewer that 50 people were killed as a gold mine collapsed in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, local authorities said on Saturday.
The accident occurred following days of heavy rainfall in the town of Kamituga in South Kivu Province.
Authorities have opened investigation into the cause of the landslide.
Governor of the Province, Theo Ngwabidje Kasi confirmed in a statement on Saturday that majority of the victims were young people, including children.
Rescuers are continuing to identify the dead and provide assistance.
Local media quoted a survivor as saying that more than 50 people had been in the three shafts, which water had poured in to.
Kamituga Mayor, Alexandre Bundya, decreed a two-day mourning period and called on local residents to help rescuers extract bodies from the ground.
The South Kivu province records landslides every year due to artisanal mining activities in several communities.