Kinshasa [Democratic Republic of the Congo], November 17: More than 100 people have died in a landslide at an unofficial gold mine in southern Congo, according to local police on Sunday.
A police officer said the accident occurred on Friday afternoon at the Mulondo Lwalaba mine near the city of Kolwezi in Lualaba province.
While initial reports said up to 70 workers were buried in the landslide, the number of bodies recovered had already risen to 101 by Saturday morning. Rescue efforts are ongoing and it is assumed that more victims remain underground.
Pecos Kilihoshi, head of the Global Refugees Leaders Forum in Kolwezi, told DPA that many of those buried and recovered are internally displaced people.
Given the ongoing insecurity in large parts of Congo, the resource-rich region in the south attracts many adults and children seeking work in unregulated mines, where they often work in precarious conditions and are exposed to toxic elements. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune
