DRCongo: Landslide Kills Seven, Injures Eight Inside Nord-Kivu Mine

Text of report entitled “Walikale: Seven people perish in mine pit” published by DRCongo’s UN-sponsored Radio Okapi website on 17 November

Nord-Kivu, 17 November: A mine pit in Bisiye of Walikale territory in Nord Kivu was on Thursday [15 November] the scene of a landslide. Eye witnesses said the victims included soldiers and civilians whom the landslide took by surprise as they looted the mine, radiookapi.net reports.

The provisional figures are seven dead and eight injured. The landslide took place in a tunnel deep inside the pit. Walikale territorial administrator said the bodies of the seven victims had been recovered and brought to the surface by residents. The injured were admitted at the Bisiye health centre.

The pit is under exploitation by a private prospecting firm which does not work with artisan miners, residents said. Access to the tunnel in which the accident occurred is not allowed, the local territorial authorities said, adding that it had launched investigations into the incident. The Bisiye mine pit is 90 km away from Walikale centre north of Goma.

Originally published by Radio Okapi website, Kinshasa, in French 17 Nov 07.

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