More than 200 people were killed in a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo this week, according to rebel-appointed provincial authorities who said the final toll is still being verified.
Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor in the province where the mine operates, told Reuters the collapse happened on Wednesday.
The site produces about 15% of the world’s coltan, a key source of tantalum used in electronics, aerospace components and gas turbines.
Locals dig manually at Rubaya for a few dollars per day, and the area has been under the control of the AFC/M23 rebel group since 2024.
Muyisa said miners, children and market women were among the victims, with around 20 injured people receiving treatment in nearby health facilities.
He said heavy rains left the ground fragile and caused it to give way while people were inside the pit.
An adviser to the governor, speaking anonymously because he was not authorised to brief the media, said at least 227 deaths had been confirmed.
The United Nations has accused AFC/M23 of plundering Rubaya’s mineral wealth to fund its insurgency, an allegation Rwanda denies. The rebels expanded their hold on mineral-rich territory in eastern Congo last year during a rapid advance.
Saudi Arabia’s air defences have intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone over the Riyadh region, according to the Saudi-led coalition fight...
Police were deployed across Paris on Saturday, as a curfew was set to take effect in the Republique and Chât...
A drone strike hit a power station in northern Sudan early Sunday (1 November), sparking a fire and triggering loud explosions, witnesses said....
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estimated $2.1 billion, but Kyiv could face years of delays before receiving the weapons it urgently needs to defend against intensifying Russian attacks.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered Iran's armed forces to respond to any threat immediately and without geographical limits in statements posted to social media platforms on Saturday (31 October).
Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and placards supporting the hijab gathered outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in London.
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
A tenth-grade student was critically injured after a man attacked her with a chainsaw inside a classroom in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district. The girl suffered severe injuries to her head, neck and back, while a classmate who tried to protect her was also hurt.
Police were deployed across Paris on Saturday, as a curfew was set to take effect in the Republique and Châtelet-Les Halles areas from 11pm Saturday until 6am Sunday (1 November).
A drone strike hit a power station in northern Sudan early Sunday (1 November), sparking a fire and triggering loud explosions, witnesses said.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education and living costs. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, as a hostile group, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Thousands protested in Albania's capital, Tirana, on Saturday (31 October), demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation over perceived corruption allegations and dissatisfaction with the government over a lack of jobs and poor education standards.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment