Rescuers dig with bare hands for grabbing miners in Lomera

People in a gold mining area in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo use their naked hands and basic tools for free miners trapped underground.

Six were drawn alive, as one seriously wounded, as the shafts collapsed in Lomer in the early hours of Sunday, local journalist Ashuza Barak told the BBC.

There are controversial reports on the death number. A resident said 12 bodies were found, but Barack said that no bodies had been restored.

The area in the province of South Kivu has been under the control of the M23 rebels since the Mineral East of Dr. Congo in the east had conquered earlier this year. The M23 rejected the reports that hundreds were trapped underground.

Lomera has been witnessing a gold tide since the end of last year, when the valuable ore was discovered in the hills near the then quiet village, according to Medical Charity MSF.

Thousands of people arrived in the hope of earning money as freelance or craftsman, miners, making the area “scattered chaos of mining shafts and improvised shelters,” MSF said in a cholera outbreak in the area last month.

The reports say a series of cascading landslides buried up to 15 of these improvised shafts without warning.

Rescue efforts have slowed as debris and large stones continue to block access.

The journalist Barak told the BBC that the lack of appropriate equipment had prevented attempts to clear the site. The survivors told him that many miners were stuck.

“We have been digging since Sunday night, but we have not restored any bodies. We are exhausted,” said a miner.

M23 officials visited the site and ordered the mining activities to stop in parts of the area.

Dozens of mining in this DR Congo region is delivering the global electronics industry with vital metals and minerals. Many are not properly regulated and safety standards are not observed.

The region has also been affected by a conflict for decades, as various rebel groups and the government are fighting for control.

The M23 achieved significant territorial profits earlier this year, conquering Goma, the main city in East Congo.

He signed a deal to end the fire with the government over the weekend in negotiations, mediated from Qatar.