At Least 28 Killed in Illegal Gold Mine Collapse

– Luanda: A small gold mine in northern Angola collapsed over the weekend, killing at least 28 miners, nearly half of them from the same family, reports and officials said.

Angola’s rich deposits of diamonds and other minerals, including gold, reportedly attract thousands of men, including those from neighboring countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, into illegal and uncontrolled mines.

Authorities found the bodies of 28 people, aged between 18 and 45, following a collapse in the mine in Bengo province, northeast of the capital, in the early hours of Saturday, a police official told national broadcaster TPA.

“These young people were mining strategic mines, namely gold, in this area, and at one point the mine collapsed,” he said on Sunday, adding that authorities were searching for other bodies.

A rescue department official also quoted the same death toll to local media, saying 13 of the dead were from the same family.

Bengo officials estimate there are approximately 7,000 illegal miners involved in gold extraction in the province, the Angolan Press Agency reported.