At least 28 people were killed after an illegally operated gold mine collapsed in Angola’s northeast Bengo province this Saturday.
The victims, ranging from 18 to 40 years old, included 13 tragic casualties from a single devastated local family.
A massive landslide buried the laborers instantly, triggering an urgent response from emergency workers scouring the unstable, heavy earth.
Police spokesman Gaspar Luis Inacio confirmed that a search and rescue operation remains underway for two missing, trapped victims.
The disaster unfolded far from the capital of Luanda, highlighting the perilous conditions inherent in the region’s unregulated mining sector.
Three survivors pulled from the debris received immediate medical treatment at the Bengo central hospital for their various injuries.
Hospital supervisor Francisco Rodrigues stated that all three patients are currently conscious, stable, and entirely out of immediate danger.
Local authorities have launched an investigation into the illegal operation, which routinely flouted basic safety protocols to extract gold.
The catastrophic collapse underscores the high human cost of illicit mining activities that continuously threaten impoverished rural communities.
Sorrow hangs heavily over Bengo province as families gather to mourn the sudden, overwhelming loss of their young breadwinners.