DRC mine collapses, killing 33
2002-01-15 18:04
Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo - At least 33 people were killed last week when a small coltan mine collapsed in eastern DRC, local rebel officials said on Tuesday.
Coltan is a mineral used in electronics and especially in the
manufacture of mobile phones.
"The mine collapsed at a busy time, burying tens of diggers and traders who, as usual, had come to supply the miners," one survivor said.
The mine is located about 60km southwest of Goma, a town on the Rwandan border where the Kigali-backed
Congolese Rally for Democracy has its headquarters.
The precise number of dead is not expected to be known until the rubble is cleared, which could take another week.
In late 1999, an accident at the same mine killed 13 people
according to official figures, although local residents put the
death toll at about 60. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA