More than 200 people were killed when a landslide struck the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo following days of heavy rain, the country’s mines ministry said on Wednesday.
The disaster occurred on Tuesday at the mining site in North Kivu province, one of the world’s largest sources of coltan, a mineral used to produce tantalum for mobile phones, computers and other electronic equipment.
The ministry said around 70 children were among the victims. Many injured miners were transported to medical facilities in the nearby city of Goma.
Earlier, a senior official from the AFC/M23 rebel group, which has controlled the Rubaya mine since 2024, told Reuters the death toll was far lower, estimating that five or six people had died in the accident.
Another senior AFC/M23 official said the landslide followed several days of heavy rainfall and occurred at a section of the site where operations had previously been discouraged until safety improvements were implemented.
Rubaya produces roughly 15% of the world’s coltan supply. The mine was recently included on a list of strategic mining assets that the Congolese government has discussed offering to the United States as part of a broader minerals cooperation framework.
The disaster comes just weeks after a similar incident at the same site in late January that also killed more than 200 people.
An M23 spokesperson was not immediately available for comment on the government’s casualty figures.