Overview
- The collapse occurred Saturday at the Kalando site in Lualaba province as miners crowded a makeshift bridge over a flooded trench near Kolwezi.
- Official tallies conflict, with the provincial interior minister confirming 32 dead while an agency official reported 49, and 20 people were hospitalized in critical condition.
- SAEMAPE said panic reportedly set off by gunfire from soldiers securing the site caused a crush that brought down the bridge.
- Provincial authorities suspended operations at Kalando, and a human-rights group requested an independent investigation as a military spokesperson did not respond to queries.
- The National Human Rights Commission shared images of bodies being recovered, and its provincial coordinator said more than 10,000 informal miners work at the site, underscoring persistent safety risks.