DR Congo copper and cobalt miners killed in Kolwezi (BBC)

At least 36 people have been killed after a copper and cobalt mine collapsed in Lualaba province in south-east DR Congo, authorities say.

The provincial governor Richard Muyej blamed the accident on what he called “clandestine artisanal diggers”.

Unofficial mining is common in the region and people do it as a means to make a living.

Mines in southern DR Congo produce more than half of the world’s cobalt – a key component in mobile phone batteries. Read more