2026 Kifula gold mine landslide

2026 Kifula gold mine landslide
Canacassala is located in Angola
Canacassala
Canacassala
Canacassala (Angola)
DateMay 23, 2026 (2026-05-23)
Time03:00 (WAT)[a]
Location
Deaths28
Injuries3

Early on 23 May 2026, a landslide struck an unauthorized gold mining operation in the locality of Kifula, Canacassala, Nambuangongo, Bengo Province, Angola, killing 28 people.[2][3][4][5] Four people were rescued.[6] It is one of the deadliest illegal mining accidents in the history of Angola.[7]

Background

Angola has a mining industry and is the third-largest producer of diamonds in Africa. The nation's Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) sector also produces gold, diamond and dimension stone.[8] Under Angolan law, ASM gold can only be sold through licensed buyers, leading to the smuggling of gold from unlicensed mining operations into neighbouring countries.[9] An estimated 7,000 illegal gold miners are extracting minerals in Bengo Province alone, according to authorities.[2]

On 17 March 2019, 13 gold miners working at an unauthorized artisanal gold mine were killed after the mine collapsed in the locality of Chicuele, Sangueve, Chipindo Municipality, Huíla Province.[4][1] No survivors were reported.[10] Around a month later, heavy rain and landslides killed two more workers in the same area, both working in illegal gold mines.[11]

There have also been many previous mining disasters in the nation, such as an incident in June 2025 where over the course of three days, six people died in mining incidents across Huambo. Other fatal collapses have been reported in Bié, Lunda Norte, and Huambo, all linked to illegal mining operations in those areas.[4][1][12]

Landslide

At around 3:00am[a] on the morning of 23 May, a landslide occurred at an illegal gold mining site in the forest of Nova Luanda,[1] near the locality of Kifula, Canacassala, Bengo Province. The landslide collapsed on makeshift and improvised structures, killing 28 gold mine workers,[4] mostly men.[5] According to an eyewitness, around 60–70 people were at the scene immediately after it happened.[1] The cause of the landslide is not explicitly stated.

Aftermath

Emergency teams, rescue groups and local officials were the first to respond to the landslide. Three people received treatment at the nearby hospital of Bengo Central.[3] The Civil Fire Protection and Fire Service of Bengo were monitoring the search and rescue for those initially unaccounted for,[6][13][14] until the operations finished on 25 May.[7] Catholic bishop Mauricio Camuto, expressed grievances and empathized with the victims, also saying that the Angolan government should try and "curb the phenomenon."[12]

Victims

The fatalities identified include a family of 13,[4][12] with the ages for all victims ranging from 16 to 35 years old.[7] Other sources say the victims' age range were from 18 to 40[5][13] or 45 years old.[2]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 According to a local quoted by Jornal de Angola, the incident occurred at around 05:00 local time, while a survivor told Lusa News Agency that the landslide happened at around 03:00.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Lusa – Business News – Angola: Landslide kills 28 gold miners". Agência de Notícias de Portugal via Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies. 24 May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Pelo menos 28 pessoas morrem em desabamento de mina de ouro ilegal em Angola" [At least 28 people die in collapse of illegal gold mine in Angola]. Agence France-Presse via Universo Online (in Portuguese). 25 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 "At least 28 killed in mine collapse in northern Angola". Xinhua. 24 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Deslizamento em mina ilegal de ouro mata 28 garimpeiros em Angola" [Landslide at illegal gold mine kills 28 miners in Angola]. Sol (in Portuguese). 24 May 2026. Archived from the original on 26 May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 "Tragedy in Angola! At least 28 dead after illegal gold mine collapses". 24 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Vinte e oito mortos em desabamento de mina em Nambuangongo" [Twenty-eight dead in mine collapse in Nambuangongo]. GiraNoticias (in Portuguese). 24 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 "Landslide at Angola illegal gold mine kills 28". Reuters. 25 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  8. ↑ "Angola ASM Profile". UNECA. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  9. ↑ Tychsen, John; Batista, Maria João (2022). Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Handbook for Southern African Region: A Practical Guide (PDF). Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland; Geological Survey of Portugal. p. 30. doi:10.22008/gpub/38532. ISBN 978-87-7871-568-5. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Desabamento numa mina deixa 13 mortos na Huíla, Angola" [Collapse at a mine leaves 13 dead in Huíla, Angola.]. Radio Angola (in Portuguese). 17 March 2019. Archived from the original on 26 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "Dois garimpeiros angolanos morrem soterrados em mina de ouro no Chipindo" [Two Angolan gold miners die buried in a gold mine in Chipindo]. Diario de Noticias (in Portuguese). 23 April 2019. Archived from the original on 26 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 "Bishop of Caxito says death of 28 gold miners reflects hunger and poverty among families". Verangola, Agência de Notícias de Portugalq. 25 May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  13. 1 2 Kunda, James (24 May 2026). "28 killed as gold mine collapses in Angola". Anadolu Ajansi. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  14. ↑ "At least 28 killed in Angola illegal gold mine landslide". caliber.az. 25 May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
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