Landslide kills at least 200 people at DR Congo’s Rubaya mine

More than 200 people have died after a landslide struck the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the country’s mines ministry. The landslide was triggered by several days of heavy rain and hit the site on Tuesday, killing over 200 people, including around 70 children. Many of the injured were taken to hospitals in the nearby city of Goma. The mine, which produces about 15 percent of the world’s coltan, has been under the control of the AFC/M23 rebel group since 2024 and was recently included in a shortlist of mining assets the Congolese government proposed to the United States under a minerals cooperation framework. The tragedy comes just one month after another deadly incident at the same site in late January that also left more than 200 people dead. Coltan from the mine is processed into tantalum, a heat-resistant metal widely used in mobile phones, computers, aerospace parts, and gas turbines.

Credit : CGTN