Torrential rains in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have flooded a gold mine. There are fears that 50 miners have died. South Kivu governor Theo Ngwabidje Kasi said most “most of them (are) young”. The mayor of the town of Kamituga, Alexander Bundya, however said that they were not as yet sure of the number of victims.

The incident occurred in a makeshift mine on Friday. The BBC reports that rescue workers have begun to bring first bodies to the surface after the accident. A local resident said that only one body had been found so far.

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi expressed deep sadness at the incident. The BBC reports that Tshisekedi asked his government to “take strong measures so that such tragedies are not repeated.”

Umm Muhammed Umar