Sixty reported dead at Congo gold mine

16 Aug 2012, 6:34 pm   -   Source: AAP
(Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

A landslide has killed dozens of people at a gold mine in Congo, but rescue efforts have been hampered because the jungle area is controlled by a militia.

A landslide at a gold mine has killed 60 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a local administrator says.

Faustin Drakana Kananga told The Associated Press on Thursday that the accident took place on Monday in Pangoyi, but rescue efforts had been hampered because the dense jungle area is controlled by members of a militia.

The miners were in an area about 100 metres below the surface at the time of the landslide, he said.

The vast African country is mired in poverty after decades of dictatorship and war.

Many Congolese engage in small-scale mining, a dangerous and unregulated practice.

Accidents are common in open-pit mines, where there are few if any safety precautions.

Hundreds of thousands of people work in unsafe conditions, some of them forced to mine by some of the armed groups and government soldiers who illegally profit from Congo's significant mineral resources.

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube