At least 200 dead in a Congo coltan mine collapse, authorities say, as rebels dispute toll

At least 200 dead in a Congo coltan mine collapse, authorities say, as rebels dispute toll A mine collapse at Congo’s key Rubaya coltan site kills large numbers of miners, and officials and rebels sharply dispute the death toll By JUSTIN KABUMBA Associated Press , RUTH ALONGA Associated Press , and AND JEAN-YVES KAMALE Associated Press March 4, 2026, 5:34 PM GOMA, Congo -- A mine collapse on Tuesday at a major coltan mining site in eastern Congo left at least 200 dead, according to Congolese authorities, a number disputed by the rebel group that controls the mine. The collapse took place Tuesday at the Rubaya mines , which are controlled by the M23 rebels, Congo's Ministry of Mines said in a statement on Wednesday, the latest such accident in the country's mineral-rich and rebel-controlled territories. Fanny Kaj, a senior official in the M23 rebel group, which controls the mines, disputed the figure and said that the collapse was caused by “bombings” and only five people had been killed. “I can confirm that what people are publishing is not true. There was no landslide; there were bombings, and the death toll isn’t what people are saying. It’s simply about five people who died,” Kaj said. Ibrahim Taluseke, a miner at the site, said that he had helped to recover over 200 bodies from the area. “We are afraid, but these are lives that are in danger,” said Taluseke. “The owners of the pits do not accept that the exact number of deaths be revealed.” Rubaya lies in the heart of eastern Congo , a mineral-rich part of the Central African nation which for decades has been ripped apart by violence from government forces and different armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23, whose recent resurgence has escalated the conflict, worsening an already acute humanitarian crisis . Congo is a major supplier of coltan, a black metallic ore that contains the rare metal tantalum, a key component in the production of smartphones, computers and aircraft engines. Popular Reads Iran li...