By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
At Least 32 Killed as Makeshift Bridge Collapses in DR Congo Cobalt Mine
At least 32 miners have died in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo after a makeshift bridge collapsed at a cobalt mine, provincial authorities confirmed on Sunday.
The incident happened on Saturday inside the Kalando mine in Lualaba Province, where heavy rainfall had flooded parts of the site. Despite an official order barring access due to the risk of landslides, hundreds of informal miners forced their way in to continue digging.
According to Lualaba’s interior minister, Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the miners crowded onto a temporary bridge built to cross a waterlogged trench.
The structure failed under the weight, plunging people into the flooded pit below. Rescue teams have recovered 32 bodies so far, and the search for others still missing is ongoing.
A report from SAEMAPE, the government body that monitors small-scale mining, indicated that the sudden presence of soldiers near the mine caused panic.
The Kalando site has long been a battleground between artisanal miners, a cooperative officially assigned to manage the area, and the site’s legal operators, who reportedly include Chinese partners.
Images shared with AFP by the provincial office of the National Human Rights Commission showed miners digging through mud to retrieve bodies, with several victims laid out nearby.
The CNDH’s provincial coordinator, Arthur Kabulo, said more than 10,000 informal miners operate at Kalando. Authorities have suspended all activity at the site following the tragedy.
The accident underscores long-standing concerns around cobalt extraction in the DRC, where dangerous conditions, child labour allegations, and industry disputes consistently shadow the mineral sector.
Congo supplies more than 70 percent of global cobalt, a metal vital for electric vehicle batteries, smartphones, and other electronics.
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