Around 30 people were killed at a semi-industrial copper mine in southeastern Congo. (Screengrab: X/@RT_com) Around 30 people were killed at a semi-industrial copper mine in southeastern Congo on Saturday after a bridge collapsed, the countryтАЩs artisanal mining agency said.
An agency official told Reuters there were 49 deaths and 20 people had been taken to hospital in a critical condition as a result of the incident, which occurred on Saturday at the Kalando mining site in Lualaba province.
Artisanal mining employs an estimated 1.5 to 2 million people in Congo and supports more than 10 million indirectly.
Horrifying MOMENT mine COLLAPSES in DRCтАЩs Kawama, Lualaba
At least 80 KILLED, with trapped miners heard screaming for help тАФ LSI Africa pic.twitter.com/ghFFl3BNZ6
тАФ RT (@RT_com) November 16, 2025
The collapse was тАЬcaused by panic, reportedly triggered by gunfire from military personnel securing the site,тАЭ said CongoтАЩs Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Support and Guidance Service, known by its French acronym SAEMAPE. Miners then тАЬpiled on top of each other, causing injuries and deathтАЭ, SAEMAPE added in a statement on Sunday.
The Initiative for the Protection of Human Rights called for an independent investigation into the militaryтАЩs role in the deaths, citing reports of clashes between miners and soldiers.
A military spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Roy Kaumba, the provincial interior minister, said in a televised statement that 32 people had been confirmed dead.
Mining accidents are common in unregulated artisanal mines, with dozens of deaths every year at sites where often ill-equipped diggers burrow deep underground.┬а
