Goma (Democratic Republic of Congo), Jan. 31 (LaPresse) – At least 200 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo following a landslide that destroyed several mines at the important coltan extraction site of Rubaya, in the east of the country, controlled by M23 rebels. The information was provided to Associated Press by Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor of North Kivu province, who explained that the collapse occurred Wednesday due to heavy rains and many victims remain buried in mud.
“For now, more than 200 deaths are counted, some of whom are still buried in the mud and have not yet been recovered,” Muyisa said, adding that many others were injured and taken to three medical facilities in Rubaya, while today ambulances will have to transfer the wounded to Goma, the nearest major city, about 50 kilometers away. The rebel-appointed governor has suspended mining activity and ordered the relocation of residents who had built shelters near the mine. Rubaya is one of the main sources of tantalum, a metal essential for electronics. The region has long been the scene of conflict, which has caused millions of displaced people.