There are disputed reports of another massive landslide at the infamous mining site, with over 200 deaths being described by eye-witnesses.
There are reports this morning that another devastating landslide has occurred at the Rubaya coltran mining site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is an area controlled by a rebel group, M23, meaning that the situation is far from clear.
The major landslide is being reported by the government, whilst the rebel group maintains that a smaller failure occurred. The difference between the account is notable – the government claims over 200 deaths and a rainfall trigger; the M23 group claims that there was no landslide but five deaths were the result of bombing by the government.
Interestingly, Al Jazeera has an eye-witness account of the event:-
Ibrahim Taluseke, a miner at the site, said that he had helped to recover more than 200 bodies from the area.
“We are afraid, but these are lives that are in danger,” Taluseke told The Associated Press news agency. “The owners of the pits do not accept that the exact number of deaths be revealed.”
This would indicate that the government account is more likely to be correct. We will need to wait for Planet Labs imagery to ascertain what has happened.
This is just the most recent of a series of landslides at the Rubaya coltan mining site, with major events having occurred on 19 June 2025 (over 300 reported fatalities) and 28 January 2026 (at least 227 reported fatalities, but some reports indicate about 400 deaths).
The most recent Planet Labs image of this area is from 24 February 2026:-
I have placed a marker on the site of the 28 January 2026 landslide (the location is [-1.56692, 28.88610]). The location of the most recent event is unclear.
Rubaya has now overtaken Hpakant in Myanmar as the most dangerous landslide location on the planet. There is little prospect of the site becoming safer.
Acknowledgement
Planet Team 2026. Planet Application Program Interface: In Space for Life on Earth. San Francisco, CA. https://www.planet.com/