A landslide triggered by heavy rains at a coltan mining site in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo killed 10 people.
The disaster struck around 4 a.m. Saturday at Rubaya mining area in North Kivu’s Masisi territory, according to local media reports.
By midday, rescuers had retrieved a dozen bodies, including six children, while dozens of miners and residents remained missing.
“Several houses in the vicinity were completely buried, and a dozen injured people were transported to local medical facilities,” eyewitnesses said.
The landslide reportedly began near the shafts of the Gakombe mining site before sweeping downward into areas where artisanal miners work.
Residents and fellow miners used makeshift tools to search for survivors and recover bodies still trapped beneath rubble, local reports said.
This tragedy follows another landslide at the same site three days earlier, which killed more than 200 people, according to the government.
In January, the area suffered a separate disaster that claimed over 400 lives, highlighting the region’s ongoing mining hazards.
Rubaya’s mining zone, rich in coltan, cassiterite, gold, and tourmaline, has been controlled by M23 rebels since 2024, complicating rescue efforts.
Authorities have yet to issue an official statement regarding Saturday’s landslide or ongoing recovery operations at the site.