Miners buried alive in DR Congo
Three bodies have been recovered a week after the collapse of the Bibapama 2 coltan mine. As many as 36 others are still buried. Coltan is a mineral used in mobile phone manufacturing. Jules Ngala Ngoma, a journalist, told BBS News Online that traders who were selling food and other supplies to the miners were among the victims of the tragedy that followed heavy rains. Desperate for money that comes from mining coltan, used to make pinhead capacitors for regulating voltage and energy storage in mobile phones, miners continue work in hazardous conditions. 80% of the world’s coltan reservers are in DR Congo. Control of coltan is one reason for the three-year conflict led by rebels. Some in Europe have started a “No blood on my cell-phone” campaign aimed to stop the purchase of phones that incorporate coltan.
See "Miners buried alive in DR Congo", BBC News Online, January 14, 2002