DRC Minister Survives Jet Crash En Route to Mining Disaster Site

COLOMBO (News 1st); A chartered Embraer ERJ-145 carrying a high-level government delegation narrowly escaped disaster after a landing accident destroyed the aircraft in Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo. 

All passengers, including Minister of Mines Louis Watum Kabamba, walked away unharmed.

The jet was en route to Lualaba province on November 17, where the minister planned to visit the Kalando mine following one of the deadliest accidents in Congo’s artisanal mining sector this year.

The ministry confirmed the aircraft was involved in an accident “during the landing phase” but stressed that the minister and his entire team were safe.

The delegation’s mission was to condole with victims’ families, assess damage, and coordinate support measures with local authorities after the November 15 mine collapse that claimed dozens of lives.

A day earlier, tragedy struck the Kalando copper mine when a bridge collapsed amid chaos triggered by alleged gunfire from soldiers securing the site.

Initial reports from Congo’s artisanal mining agency SAEMAPE suggested 49 fatalities and 20 critical injuries, but provincial officials later confirmed 32 deaths.

According to SAEMAPE, panic erupted when shots were fired, prompting miners to rush across the bridge, which collapsed under the weight, causing a deadly pile-up. 

The Initiative for the Protection of Human Rights has called for an independent probe into the military’s role, citing reports of clashes between miners and soldiers. The army has yet to comment.