At least seven miners were killed when underground galleries in a diamond mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) collapsed, a radio report said on Wednesday.
The United Nations-backed Radio Okapi quoted police as saying that seven bodies had been brought out, but witnesses said dozens of people were underground when the collapse occurred on Tuesday night.
Kasai Oriental province’s Governor, Alphonse Ngoy Kasanji, said that ”for the moment the toll is three dead, but there are dozens working illegally in those tunnels and it is very difficult to know how many were there at the time of the accident and how many were killed”.
The vast mine complex at Bakwanga in the central DRC, run by the Miba company, is a magnet for hundreds of illegal diamond diggers, who operate in galleries dug by the mine owners and then abandoned after the stones have been extracted.
Local human rights groups estimate that about 40 000 people are involved in illegal mining.
The mayor of Mbuyi-Mayi, the province’s main city, said that one of his staff had died in the accident. ”Every day people die in the mine. Even those with a career risk their lives for these stones,” Innocent Kingwa said.
”The government must bring in companies that can stop the miners and provide a minimum of security. Otherwise, it should make more effort to promote agriculture and encourage people away from the diamonds,” he added.
Miba is 80% owned by the state with 20% held by the pan-African mining company Mwana Africa. It employs about 6 000 people. The complex at Bakwanga covers about 45 000 square kilometres. — Sapa-AFP