Luanda, May 24, 2026 (Lusa) - A landslide at an illegal gold mine in Nambuangongo, in the Angolan province of Bengo, killed 28 miners in the early hours of Saturday morning, according to a spokesperson for the Civil Protection and Fire Service.

Wilson Baptista, quoted by ‘Jornal de Angola’ (Angola Newspaper), said the incident occurred at around 5 a.m. in the village of Mucunha, with three people rescued alive, while search operations continue to locate others.

According to Angola National Radio, of the 28 confirmed fatalities, 13 belong to the same family.

Baptista said that the inadequate communications network in the region is hampering the work of teams on the ground, particularly in gathering information and coordinating rescue efforts.

One of the survivors told the press that he arrived at the scene at around 3 a.m., when he found dozens of people inside a structure resembling a makeshift tunnel used for gold mining.

"When I arrived at the forest, which we call Nova Luanda, there were about 60 or 70 people there."

"The hole looked like a tunnel. In the ensuing chaos, the wall collapsed," he told Angola Newspaper.

The situation is being monitored by the provincial delegate of Bengo's interior ministry, Delfim Kalulo, and local government officials, who have reinforced the call to end illegal mining and are advocating for increased monitoring and awareness-raising campaigns.

Illegal mining in several provinces has led to numerous tragedies in recent years.

In June 2025, at least six people died within three days in illegal mines in Huambo, and 13 miners were buried alive in the village of Tchikuele, in Huíla, in an illegal mine extracting gold and other minerals.

Fatal collapses have also been reported in Bié and Lunda Norte, linked to the illegal extraction of diamonds, and in Huambo such as Ukuma and Cuima.

RCR/MYAL // ADB.

Lusa