A tragic collapse has cost the lives of at least 32 people on Saturday in a cobalt mine in Kalando, in southern Democratic Republic of Congo. The death toll remains provisional, as search operations continue to try to find any possible missing persons.

Images broadcast from the site show the extent of the disaster. The majority of the victims are artisanal miners, who represent a population estimated at more than 10,000 people on the site, according to local authorities. Efforts to recover the bodies and survivors have been complicated by difficult terrain and the risk of further collapses.

The exact causes of the tragedy remain uncertain. The provincial Minister of the Interior, Roy Kaumba Mayonde, indicated that illegal miners had forced entry despite the ban due to heavy rains and the risk of landslides. A report from Saemape also mentions a panic movement caused by the presence of soldiers, which would have resulted in additional injuries and deaths.

This disaster once again highlights the dangerous conditions faced by artisanal miners in a country that produces over 70% of the world’s cobalt, essential for phone and electric car batteries. It is estimated that more than 200,000 people work in illegal sites, often at the risk of their lives.