DR Congo: At Least 20 Killed in Mine Collapse

At least 20 people were killed after a mine collapsed in “Sha Mashingo” village, in Kasai states, Southern the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“At least 20 people died in a diamond mine collapse last evening in Sha Mashingo village, in Samba, about 40 km from Chicapa,” a local website reported on Wednesday.

According to the website, one of the miners said that several people died when the mine collapsed, which affected more than 30 wells in the mine.

He added that some workers are still missing in these wells, and 10 others were found. They are still searching for survivors.

In September 2020, a similar collapse occurred at a gold mine in the town of Kamituga in eastern the country killed at least 50 miners.

Last October, seven miners were killed, 12 injured, and 5 went missing when a gold mine collapsed in the southeastern province of Kivu.

Accidents are common in makeshift mines in the DR of Congo; most of them are deadly, but because the mines are located in remote areas, accidents are usually not reported.

The mines sell their products to local traders, who in turn sell them to large foreign companies.