At least 28 people were killed after a landslide hit an illegal gold mining site in Angola’s northwestern Bengo province, authorities confirmed on Sunday, marking one of the deadliest accidents linked to illegal mining activities in the country in recent years.
According to the provincial civil protection and fire service, the incident occurred on Saturday at an unauthorised gold extraction site where a large number of miners had been working. Rescue teams managed to pull four survivors from the debris after the collapse, while search and recovery operations were later declared complete.
Officials said the victims were between 16 and 35 years old, highlighting the involvement of many young people in risky informal mining operations. Authorities did not immediately provide further details about the exact cause of the landslide, though illegal mining sites in the region are often considered highly dangerous due to poor safety conditions and lack of regulation.
Illegal mining in Angola has traditionally been linked to the country’s diamond-rich areas. However, in recent years, artisanal mining activities involving other minerals, particularly gold, have expanded significantly as Angola seeks to diversify its mining sector.
The southern African nation, one of the world’s major diamond producers, has increasingly shifted attention toward metals such as gold and copper amid declining global diamond prices and growing competition from synthetic diamonds.
The latest tragedy has once again raised concerns over unsafe mining practices and the dangers faced by informal miners working outside official oversight in Angola’s expanding mineral sector.
