At least 28 people were killed when a landslide struck an illegal gold mining site in Angola’s northwestern Bengo province, local authorities said, in one of the country’s deadliest illegal mining accidents.
Four people were rescued from the site, the province’s civil protection and fire service added in a statement on Sunday, adding that search operations had been completed.
The deceased from Saturday’s accident were aged between 16 and 35 years old, authorities said.
Illegal mining in Angola had historically been associated with the diamond industry. But the country’s mining diversification drive has fuelled a boom in artisanal mining of other metals such as gold.
Angola, a major diamond producer, is diversifying into metals such as copper and gold as diamond prices fall and synthetic diamonds rise.
