Artisanal mining in the DRC.
© Julien HarneisArtisanal mining in the DRC.
At least 24 people have died after a landslide buried a mine in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo).

Ituri province is in the far north east of the country, close to the border with Uganda, which is also experiencing heavy rain that has triggered deadly landslides over the last few days.

In the DR Congo, the landslide in Ituri province struck on 14 December. According to AFP, the provincial minister of mining said days of heavy rainfall was the main cause of the landslide. Rescuer workers are still searching the area and it is feared the death toll could rise.

Heavy rain since October has caused flooding and landslide across the country, affecting over 600,000 people in 12 of the 26 provinces, according to the UN.


Mining Disasters

Meanwhile, mining disasters similar to that in Ituri province have struck in other parts of the world over the last few days.

Four people were killed and 14 were trapped after a coal mine in Sichuan province, China flooded on 14 December, according to Chinese state media. Over 300 people managed to escape. It is not clear what caused the flooding, although some reports point out that the mine has a poor safety record.

In Afghanistan, news agency Pajhwok reported that 5 workers were killed in a landslide in a gold mine in northeastern Badakhshan province on 12 December, 2019. Again, it is not clear what caused the landslide.