Six people were killed when a diamond mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo collapsed last Friday, officials said.
AFP quoted the central Kasai province's vice-governor Gaston Nkole as saying that those killed were "unauthorised diggers” who entered an area where mining is prohibited.
Despite the mining restriction imposed by the authorities for safety concerns, informal miners have been visiting the site at night to mine diamonds.
The vice-governor said that the latest death toll, received Saturday night, was six.
He also stated that an investigation was ongoing.
Mining mishaps are prevalent in the DRC, where hundreds of ill-equipped informal diggers search for gold and other precious minerals.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
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