People in a gold-mining area in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo have been using their bare hands and basic tools to free miners trapped underground.
Six have been pulled out alive, with one seriously injured, since shafts collapsed in Lomera in the early hours of Sunday, local journalist Ashuza Barack told the BBC.
There have been conflicting reports on the death toll. One resident said that 12 bodies had been found but Barack said no bodies had been recovered.
The area, in South Kivu province, has been under the control of M23 rebels since they captured swathes of DR Congo’s mineral-rich east earlier this year. The M23 rejected reports that hundreds were trapped underground.
Lomera has witnessed a gold rush since the end of last year when the precious ore was discovered in the hills near what was then a quiet village, according to medical charity MSF.
Thousands of people arrived hoping to make money as freelance, or artisanal, miners, turning the area into a “sprawling chaos of mineshafts and makeshift shelters”, MSF said in a statement on a cholera outbreak in the area last month.
Reports said a series of cascading landslides buried up to 15 of these makeshift shafts without warning.
Rescue efforts have slowed as debris and large stones continue to block access.
Journalist Barack told the BBC that the lack of proper equipment has hampered attempts to clear the site. Survivors told him that many miners remain stuck.
“We’ve been digging since Sunday night but have not recovered any bodies. We are exhausted,” one miner said.
Officials from M23 visited the site and ordered mining activities to stop in parts of the area.
Dozens of mining sites across this region of DR Congo supply the global electronics industry with vital metals and minerals. Many are not properly regulated and safety standards are not observed.
The region has also been hit by conflict for decades as various rebel groups and the government have been fighting over control.
The M23 made significant territorial gains earlier this year, capturing Goma, the main city in eastern DR Congo.
It signed a ceasefire deal with the government at the weekend in talks brokered by Qatar.
