Overview
- Provincial interior minister Roy Kaumba Mayonde said 32 bodies have been recovered so far, with the final toll still uncertain as searches continue.
- An initial SAEMAPE report says shots fired by soldiers or armed security sparked panic that sent miners rushing onto the structure, with a provisional death count of around 40.
- Victims fell into a water‑filled safety trench excavated by a Chinese‑operated company, and many died by drowning after the wooden, improvised bridge failed.
- Officials said access to the Kalando site had been strictly banned because of heavy rains and landslide risk, yet large numbers of artisanal miners forced their way in.
- Local ministers visited the area, operations at Kalando were suspended for assessment, and rights officials estimate more than 10,000 artisanal miners work there.