Dug to death: 12 Congo miners buried alive for your smartphone

At least 12 miners have been confirmed dead following a deadly collapse at an artisanal coltan mine in North Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The tragedy unfolded on Thursday, June 19, 2025, near the mining town of Rubaya, but the scale of the incident only became clear Friday, according to a mining source and a civil society leader speaking to Reuters.

The exact cause of the collapse remains unknown.

However, witnesses say dozens of other miners managed to escape the shafts moments before the earth caved in, avoiding what could have been a much worse disaster.

The mine is one of the many unregulated, small-scale operations scattered across Rubaya—an area rich in coltan, the metallic ore vital to the production of smartphones, laptops, and other high-tech gadgets.

Artisanal mines in this region supply about one-sixth of the global coltan demand, making it a key source in the world’s digital economy.

But behind the shimmering screens of modern electronics lies a much grimmer picture.

Working conditions in these mines are often dangerous, poorly supervised, and vulnerable to both environmental instability and human rights abuses. Safety protocols are minimal, and incidents like these are tragically common.

Adding to the complexity, the Rubaya region has been under the control of M23 rebels since mid-2024.

Rebel commanders confirmed earlier this year that they impose a 15% tax on the value of coltan extracted from the area.

This means much of the world’s high-tech supply chain is now intertwined with an active conflict zone, raising serious ethical concerns for tech companies and consumers alike.

Authorities in Kinshasa have yet to issue a formal statement on the incident, and recovery operations remain ongoing.

As the global appetite for electronics grows, tragedies like this expose the human cost buried deep beneath the revolving surface of the digital age.

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