Summary
Rescuers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are using basic tools to try to save miners trapped underground after shafts collapsed in a gold-mining area. Six miners have been rescued alive, but conflicting reports leave the exact death toll unclear.
Key Facts
- Miners are trapped in Lomera, a gold-mining area in South Kivu province, DR Congo.
- Rescuers are digging with bare hands and basic tools, as proper equipment is lacking.
- Six miners have been rescued alive, but there are conflicting reports on whether any bodies have been found.
- The M23 rebel group controls the area and denies that hundreds are trapped.
- The region experienced a gold rush, drawing thousands of miners and creating risky, makeshift mining conditions.
- Cascading landslides buried up to 15 mining shafts, hampering rescue efforts due to debris and stones.
- M23 officials ordered a halt to some mining activities during the rescue operations.
- DR Congo supplies vital minerals for the global electronics industry, often without proper regulation or safety standards.
