In a major bridge collapse at a cobalt mine in in south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 32 workers have died. Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the interior minister for Lualaba province, told reporters that the bridge fell on Saturday at a flooded area of the Kalando mine. He said 32 bodies had been recovered, with further searches underway.
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Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the interior minister for Lualaba province, told reporters that the bridge fell on Saturday in a flooded area of the Kalando mine. He said 32 bodies had been recovered, with further searches underway.
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About the Cobalt mine in Congo
The mine lies about 26 miles south-east of Kolwezi, the provincial capital. "Despite a formal ban on access to the site because of the heavy rain and the risk of a landslide, wildcat miners forced their way into the quarry,"- Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the interior minister for Lualaba province, said.
What caused the bridge to collapse?
According to the minister, the bridge collapsed because too many miners were trying to cross it at the same time. It was a temporary bridge built over a water-filled trench, and the heavy crowd caused it to fall.
SAEMAPE, a government agency report, which oversees and supports mining cooperatives, stated that the soldiers' presence at the site had caused panic, which made the workers run together. The heavy weight of the workers together caused the bridge to collapse. It noted that the Kalando mine has been at the centre of a long-running dispute between informal miners, a cooperative that was supposed to manage the work, and the official companies running the site, which it mentioned also involved Chinese operators. According to the report, miners who fell "piled on top of each other, causing the deaths and injuries".