At least 32 people were killed on Saturday, November 15, 2025, when a makeshift bridge collapsed at the Kalando copper and cobalt mine in the Lualaba province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Provincial Interior Minister Roy Kaumba Mayonde reported that the disaster occurred after thousands of artisanal miners ignored official safety prohibitions and forced their way into the quarry during heavy rainfall.
While overcrowding was a primary factor, a report from the government agency SAEMAPE indicated that the collapse was precipitated by a stampede after soldiers stationed at the site fired gunshots, causing the miners to rush onto the unstable structure in a panic.
Casualty figures vary between different government and independent sources, with some estimates rising to at least 40 or 50 deaths as recovery efforts continue in the flooded trench.
The presence of the military at the mine has been a long-standing source of tension among independent miners, organized cooperatives, and the site’s legal operators, who are frequently linked to Chinese firms that control a significant portion of the country’s cobalt production.
This latest tragedy highlights the severe human rights and safety concerns within the DRC’s mining industry, which provides the majority of the world’s cobalt while often leaving artisanal workers vulnerable to unregulated and hazardous conditions.
