43 illegal miners killed in copper mine collapse in DR Congo

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 43 illegal miners were killed when part of a copper mine collapsed in southeastern part of the country, Richard Muyej, Governor of the Lualaba province, told a press conference yesterday. 

Details of the exact toll were still unclear after two galleries caved in on Thursday at a mine in the Kolwezi area operated by Kamoto Copper Company (KCC), a



subsidiary of the Swiss company Glencore. The Red Cross and some civil groups put the number of fatalities even higher, at between 60 and 80 dead. 

Glencore had said KCC had observed a "growing presence" of illegal miners intruding on its operating sites. Illegal mining is common and frequently deadly in the Democratic Republic of Congo.