By Jamillah Kemigisa
At least 32 people have died after a makeshift bridge collapsed at the Kalando cobalt mine in southern DRC, local authorities confirmed on Saturday, as rescue teams continue to search the area for survivors.
Local official Roy Kaumba Mayonde said the victims were among a group of unauthorized miners who had forced their way into the site despite a standing ban on access. “This is tragic,” Mayonde said, adding that mining companies across the DRC are frequently confronted by groups of illegal miners seeking to enter industrial concessions.
According to the government mining agency SAEMAPE, the situation turned chaotic when military personnel guarding the site allegedly fired warning shots during the confrontation. The gunfire reportedly triggered panic among the miners, prompting a stampede across the fragile footbridge, which then gave way under the sudden weight of the fleeing crowd. The Congolese military has not commented on the allegations.
Officials say the bridge was built by the miners themselves. Its improvised structure, never intended to hold a large crowd moving at once, buckled almost instantly. “The bridge was unstable and could not sustain such a large number of people making a hasty crossing,” Mayonde said.
Authorities are urging artisanal miners to pursue government-supported alternative livelihoods, including training in agribusiness, in hopes of preventing future tragedies.
Fatal accidents are common in the DRC’s artisanal mining sector, where an estimated 1.5 to 2 million people work under hazardous, unregulated conditions. The sector feeds global supply chains with cobalt, copper, and other minerals essential to batteries, electric vehicles, aerospace, and defense industries.
The country’s cobalt industry has long faced scrutiny over child labor, unsafe working conditions, and systemic corruption—issues that continue to raise alarms about ethical sourcing. In recent years, the DRC has witnessed repeated mine collapses, landslides, and infrastructure failures at informal mining sites, underscoring the deadly risks faced by those who enter concessions illegally in search of income.
