More than 200 people have died and dozens are missing after a landslide on March 3 at the Kasasa site in the Rubaya mining area in Masisi territory, North Kivu, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
“I saw the ground collapse and [bury] many people who were there. I can’t say exactly how many, but there were several people involved in the incident. The mine was busy as usual,” a witness who requested anonymity told Mongabay by phone.
Amateur videos that have gone viral (but could not be independently verified by Mongabay) show bodies lying on the ground, with witnesses reporting that people had lost their lives and been pulled from the rubble.
Since February 2025, parts of the eastern DRC, including Rubaya, have been under the control of M23, an armed group allegedly backed by Rwanda. This represented a major escalation of a long-simmering conflict in the politically volatile region.
The local M23 Congo River Alliance authorities in Rubaya, including the mayor of Rubaya and his deputy, confirmed that the landslide took place but did not provide any figures about the casualties.
Congolese Minister of Mines Louis Watum Kabamba, a member of President Felix Tshisekedi’s government, announced that more than 200 people, including children, had died in the disaster, which occurred on March 3 at around 3 p.m.
A miner speaking on condition of anonymity, contacted by Mongabay by telephone, confirmed having seen a dozen bodies by Wednesday morning, noting that the number of victims could rise as rescue operations continue.
On Jan. 28, a landslide at the same mining site, attributed to heavy rain, also killed more than 200 people, according to M23 authorities controlling Rubaya.
Mines in this area produce around 15% of the global supply of coltan, a mineral used in the manufacture of many electronic devices.
A former coltan trader in Rubaya, contacted by Mongabay, estimated there have been thousands of casualties in recent years at the mines and that solutions must be found to limit the loss of human life.
“The Rubaya mine is already old. There are several holes here and there, which have made the ground fragile and vulnerable to deadly landslides. The mine should be industrialized or semi-industrialized to save human lives from these disasters,” she said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security and political reasons.
She pointed a finger at “unregulated” mining. The AFC political-military group currently controls the area.
Banner image: Artisanal miners in Rubaya area, DRC. Image courtesy of Global Witness.
This story first appeared on Mongabay
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