Gakenke – One person was killed after a Castelite mine in Rukore Cell, Cyabingo Sector in Gakenke District caved in, local authorities have said.

The body of Cyprien Habarurema, 38, was retrieved 15 metres deep by local residents and taken to Nemba Hospital.
One of the survivors of the accident, Augustine Rutaburingoga, narrated that the earth first cracked before caving in.

"We arrived at the mine at 6 A.M, we had a long day of mining but the debris fell after we had reached the precious stones (castalite). We had started removing it when the accident occurred,’’ Rutaburingoga said.

Talking to The New Times, the Executive Secretary of Cyabingo, JMV Hategekimana, blamed the owners of the mining site for not protecting the miners.
"Local residents earn a living from here,” he said.

"The owners had agreed to expropriate the residents and organize them into cooperatives but they claim to be waiting for full operational rights.”

The Castelite and Coltan min belongs to the former Internal Affairs Minister, Jean de Dieu Ntiruhungwa.

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