At least six people were killed on Tuesday when a tunnel collapsed at the Rubaya coltan mine in the rebel-controlled eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to eyewitnesses cited by AFP from Goma. The incident occurred about 70 kilometers west of Goma in North Kivu province, killing three women and three men and injuring several others.

Witnesses reported that authorities had ordered evacuations following the collapse, and bodies were seen being carried away on stretchers. Many relatives rushed to the site in search of missing workers. The Rubaya mine, one of the largest coltan sources in the country, employs thousands of miners who work in hazardous conditions with minimal equipment.

The mine, which supplies an estimated 15 to 30 percent of global coltan production, has been under the control of M23 rebels since April 2024. This was the second deadly collapse in Rubaya in recent weeks, following a landslide late last month that the government feared had killed at least 200 people.