At least six people were killed on Tuesday when a shaft collapsed at the Democratic Republic of Congo’s largest coltan mine in the rebel-held east, witnesses told AFP.
Three women and three men died when the shaft gave way at the Rubaya mine, around 70 kilometres west of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province. Several others were seriously injured.
“People died and others were seriously injured,” said a witness named Daniel, reached by phone in Goma. Following an evacuation order, he reported seeing two bodies on stretchers.
“They recovered six bodies: three women and three men,” said another witness, who declined to be named.
Relatives rushed to the mine seeking news of missing family members.
Thousands of artisanal miners work in precarious conditions at Rubaya, using little more than simple shovels and rubber boots.
The vast Rubaya site, which accounts for 15 to 30 per cent of global coltan production, has been controlled by the M23 rebels since April 2024.
The Rwanda-backed movement reportedly earns around $800,000 a month from the mine, levying a $7-per-kilogramme tax on coltan production and sales.
The collapse occurred in an area of the mine known as the Gasasa quarry.
It is the second fatal incident at Rubaya in recent weeks. Authorities said they feared at least 200 people were killed in a massive landslide at the site at the end of last month.
M23 has seized large areas of eastern DR Congo since its resurgence in 2021, exploiting a region rich in natural resources that has been devastated by conflict for three decades.
Fighting has intensified in the Rubaya area in recent days, with a drone strike on 24 February killing M23 military spokesman Willy Ngoma.
