Dozens Dead After Bridge Collapse at Cobalt and Copper Mine in DR Congo
At least 32 people have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after a makeshift bridge collapsed at the Kalando copper and cobalt mine in Lualaba Province, officials said.
According to provincial interior minister Roy Kaumbe Mayonde, the bridge gave way on Saturday as large numbers of miners attempted to cross it, despite a government ban restricting access to the site due to heavy rainfall and fears of landslides.
A report from the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Support and Guidance Service (SAEMAPE) said panic erupted after soldiers allegedly fired shots at the site, prompting miners to rush toward the bridge, which then collapsed. The agency suggested the death toll could be as high as 40.
Authorities say Kalando has long been a hotspot of tension involving wildcat miners, a cooperative assigned to organise activities there, and the mine’s legal operators, reported to have Chinese involvement. Human rights officials estimate that more than 10,000 informal miners work in the area.
Provincial authorities have suspended operations at the site, while the Initiative for the Protection of Human Rights has called for an independent investigation into the military’s actions. The army has not yet commented.
The DRC remains the world’s largest producer of cobalt, a key mineral for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and electronics. However, the sector continues to face allegations of unsafe working conditions, child labour, and corruption. The country’s vast mineral wealth also fuels a conflict that has troubled eastern provinces for over three decades.
