More than 200 people were killed this week in a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, a spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor of the province where the mine is located, told Reuters on Friday.

Rubaya produces about 15% of the world’s coltan, which is processed into tantalum – a heat-resistant metal that is in high demand by makers of mobile phones, computers, aerospace components and gas turbines.

The site, where local people dig manually for a few dollars a day, has been under the control of the M23 rebel group since 2024.

The collapse occurred on Wednesday and the precise toll was still unclear as of Friday evening.

“For now, there are more than 200 dead, some of whom are still in the mud and have not yet been recovered,” Muyisa said.

He added that several others were injured and taken to three health facilities in the town of Rubaya, while ambulances were expected to transfer the wounded on Saturday to Goma, about 50kms (30 miles) away.

The rebel-appointed governor of North Kivu has temporarily halted artisanal mining on the site and ordered the relocation of residents who had built shelters near the mine, Muyisa said.

The landslide was caused by heavy rains, he said.

An adviser to the governor said the number of confirmed dead was at least 227.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media.

The UN says M23 has plundered Rubaya’s riches to help fund its insurgency, backed by the government of neighbouring Rwanda – an allegation Kigali denies.

The heavily armed rebels, whose stated aim is to overthrow the government in Kinshasa and ensure the safety of the Congolese Tutsi minority, captured even more mineral-rich territory in eastern Congo during a lightning advance last year

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