Overview
- The collapse occurred Saturday at the Kalando site in Mulondo, Lualaba province, after a crowd surged onto a makeshift wooden bridge.
- Provincial interior minister Roy Kaumba Mayonde reported at least 32 deaths, while a SAEMAPE report put fatalities at about 40.
- Authorities say illegal artisanal diggers forced entry despite a ban tied to heavy rains and landslide risk.
- SAEMAPE reports the bridge spanned a rain-filled trench dug by a Chinese-operated company and failed under the crush, causing deaths and injuries.
- Provincial interior and mining ministers visited the site and promised an assessment, underscoring longstanding safety problems and access disputes in the artisanal mining sector.