Artisanal miners at work in the north-eastern DRC

Kinshasa, DRC --- 17 August 2012 - About 60 miners died when a shaft in which they were working collapsed in a remote part of north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a United Nations-backed radio station broadcast.  

The miners were 100m underground when the accident occurred on Monday in Mambasa territory in Orientale Province, Radio Okapi stated.

Reuters reports that the authorities in the Central African nation were not immediately available to comment.

Mining companies AngloGold Ashanti and Randgold operate in the region, which is known to be rich in tin and gold.

Hundreds of thousands of people in the eastern DRC make a living in artisanal mines, where safety precautions are almost nonexistent and accidents are common.

Source: Reuters Africa. For more information, click here.