(MENAFN) At least 32 fatalities have been confirmed following the catastrophic collapse of an overloaded bridge at a copper extraction site in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a regional authority who briefed media Sunday.

Provincial Interior Minister Roy Kaumba Mayonde told journalists the Saturday disaster resulted from the "hasty crossing of the diggers," which triggered the improvised structure's failure, plunging victims into a water-filled trench below.

Mayonde announced that investigators have been deployed to identify parties accountable for the deadly incident.

"Despite a strict ban on entering the site due to heavy rains and the risk of landslides, illegal diggers forcibly entered the mine," he stated.

Earlier reports from domestic news outlets suggested the death toll at the Kalando mine in Mulondo, Lualaba province, could reach as high as 70 victims.

Footage spreading across social media platforms, filmed from a distance, captured a massive section of the mining operation giving way as panicked bystanders fled the collapsing terrain.

Numerous laborers remain buried beneath debris while emergency crews conduct ongoing search and extraction efforts.

Fatal mining incidents occur frequently throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo, driven by unlicensed operations, insufficient safety protocols, and crumbling infrastructure that fails to meet basic standards.

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