DRC: 15 Killed in Illegal Mine in Democratic Republic of Congo

Dec 28, 2014 | Press TV
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At least 15 people have suffocated to death while working in an illegal mine in the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Mayor Deoda Kapenda said on Saturday that the deaths occurred on Friday in the city of Kolwezi in the mineral-rich province of Katanga.

“Fifteen artisanal miners died yesterday in a tunnel in Kolwezi,” Kapenda noted, adding, “The miners died by suffocation in a tunnel more than 20 meters deep. It was not a landslide.”

Scores of poor illegal miners put their lives at risk in search of minerals, including copper and cobalt, in Katanga.