The accident occurred in the KOV quarry, owned by Kamoto Copper (KCC) under a concession 75% owned by Katanga Mining, a subsidiary of Glencore, said Richard Muei, Governor of Lualaba Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“The accident was provoked by illegal artisanal diggers who entered the mine,” Muey commented on the situation to Reuters. “The old terraces could not stand it and collapsed.”
In a statement, Glencore said that so far the deaths of 19 people have been confirmed, and local authorities are assisting in search and rescue operations. Production was not affected by the incident.
The KOV quarry, which occupies a vast flat area on the outskirts of Kolwezi, near the border with Zambia, is one of the world's largest high-quality copper deposits.
Thousands of illegal miners work in mines in southern Congo, which produce more than half of the world's cobalt, a key component in batteries for electric vehicles.
However, the antediluvian mining methods used by artisans can jeopardize the safety of mines, and accidents are common here.
