Bridge collapse at Kalando mine kills scores of miners
At least 32 people have died after a makeshift footbridge collapsed at the Kalando copper‑cobalt mine in Lualaba province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), provincial officials said. A government mining report put the death toll at about 40.
The provincial interior minister, Roy Kaumbe Mayonde, said the collapse happened on Saturday after wildcat miners forced their way into the mine despite an official ban prompted by heavy rain and landslide risk. The miners were crossing a temporary bridge built to span a flooded trench when it gave way under the weight of the crowd.
“Despite a formal ban on access to the site because of the heavy rain and the risk of a landslide, wildcat miners forced their way into the quarry,” Mayonde said.
A report from the DRC’s Artisanal and Small‑Scale Mining Support and Guidance Service (SAEMAPE) said gunfire from soldiers at the site sparked panic. According to the report, miners rushed toward the footbridge after the shots, causing people to fall and become piled on top of each other, which produced multiple fatalities and injuries.
SAEMAPE and provincial authorities differ slightly on the toll: Minister Mayonde said at least 32 people died, while SAEMAPE put the figure at around 40. The discrepancy reflects the difficulty of rapid casualty verification at informal mining sites.
Kalando has been the focus of long‑running tensions between informal or “wildcat” diggers, a cooperative that was supposed to organise artisanal mining, and the concession’s legal operators, who have been reported to have Chinese involvement. Arthur Kabulo, provincial coordinator for the National Human Rights Commission, told AFP that more than 10,000 informal miners operate at Kalando.
Provincial authorities suspended operations at the site following the incident. The Initiative for the Protection of Human Rights has called for an independent investigation into the military’s role after reports of clashes between soldiers and miners. There was no immediate comment from the military.
Wider context
The DRC is the world’s largest producer of cobalt, a mineral used in lithium‑ion batteries for electric vehicles and other devices; analysts say Chinese firms account for a large share of cobalt production in the country. The cobalt sector in the DRC has long been dogged by accusations of child labour, hazardous working conditions and corruption.
More broadly, the country’s vast mineral wealth has been a factor in recurring conflicts in eastern Congo for decades. Authorities and rights groups say improving safety, enforcing regulations and ensuring independent probes into violent incidents are urgent priorities to prevent further loss of life at artisanal mining sites.
