The death toll from a landslide in a gold mine in Ituri Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, has risen to 24, as a result of the heavy rains that swept the place.
"Our teams are on the ground ... 24 bodies have been recovered and two people have been rescued," said regional mining minister Diodon Abasa. "As rescue workers continue searching, the death toll may rise," he said.
"The main reason for this landslide is the almost daily rain that fell recently," Abasa said.
The Ndeo Mine is located about 40 km from Watsa, the main city in the Watsa region in the Upper Oily Region.
To the south, the civil authorities said that the landslides caused by the continuous rains had killed 31 people between 7 and 14 December in Bukavu, South-East Kivu Province.
