GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – At least 50 people are thought to have died when an artisanal gold mine collapsed near Kamituga in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday afternoon, a local mining NGO said.
The cave-in occurred on the “Detroit” mine site at around 3 p.m. local (1300 GMT) following heavy rains, said Emiliane Itongwa, president of the Initiative of Support and Social Supervision of Women.
“Several miners were in the shaft which was covered and no one could get out. We are talking about fifty young people,” Itongwa said.
Photos on social media showed hundreds of people gathered on a hillside around the mine-shaft entrance.
The mine was not located on the Kamituga gold concession owned by Canadian miner Banro Corporation, the company’s chief executive said.
(Reporting by Djaffar Al Katanty; writing by Hereward Holland; editing by Chris Reese and Marguerita Choy)
