Ofure Akhigbe
At least 32 people were killed when a bridge at a Congo mine in southeastern Lualaba province collapsed due to overcrowding, authorities confirmed Sunday.
The incident occurred Saturday at the Kalando mine in Mulondo. Interior Minister Roy Kaumba Mayonde said during a press conference that “despite the strict prohibition on accessing the site due to heavy rainfall and the risk of landslides, illegal diggers forced their way into the quarry.”
A report by the government’s Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Support and Guidance Service (SAEMAPE) indicated that gunfire from soldiers at the Congo mine caused panic among miners. Rushing onto the bridge in fear, many were left “piled on top of each other,” resulting in the deaths and injuries. While Mayonde confirmed at least 32 fatalities, the SAEMAPE report put the toll at 40.
The presence of soldiers at the Congo mine has long been a source of tension between wildcat miners, a local cooperative, and the site’s legal operators.
Congo, the world’s largest producer of cobalt—a mineral critical for lithium-ion batteries—has faced repeated scrutiny for unsafe working conditions, child labor, and corruption in its mining sector. Chinese companies control roughly 80% of the country’s cobalt production.
Eastern Congo’s mineral-rich regions have long been destabilized by violence from government forces and armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23. The bridge collapse at the Congo mine underscores the ongoing risks faced by miners in a region plagued by conflict and unsafe conditions.