Overview
- Provincial interior minister Roy Kaumba Mayonde confirmed 32 deaths, while SAEMAPE reported at least 40 and a Reuters source cited 49 with about 20 critically injured.
- SAEMAPE said panic erupted after soldiers fired at the site, sending miners onto a makeshift bridge that failed; the military has not publicly responded.
- Authorities had barred access to the flooded quarry because of heavy rains and landslide risk, but illegal diggers forced their way in.
- Operations at the Kalando site were suspended as rescue and recovery continued, with images showing bodies retrieved and multiple injured taken to hospitals.
- The mine has long been contested by wildcat miners, a cooperative, and licensed operators reportedly including Chinese interests, highlighting broader safety and human-rights concerns in DRC’s artisanal cobalt sector.