More than 200 people have died in a landslide at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities say. The Ministry of Mines confirmed on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, that about 70 of the victims were children. The injured have been evacuated to medical facilities in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.
The mine has been under the control of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group since 2024. A senior rebel official disputed the government’s death toll, claiming the collapse was caused by bombings and that only five people were killed. Miners at the site, however, said they had recovered more than 200 bodies.
The collapse follows heavy rainfall in the region over recent days. A similar incident in late January at the same site also killed more than 200 people. Authorities had at the time attributed the disaster to unsafe mining practices and illegal operations allowed by the rebels.
Also Read: Landslide In Northwest DR Congo Kills At Least 17 People
Rubaya produces around 15 percent of the world’s coltan, a mineral used in electronics, aerospace components, and other high-tech products. The site has recently been included in a framework for minerals cooperation with the United States.
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