France, March 5 -- The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reported more than 200 deaths, including those of around 70 children, in a statement released on Wednesday evening by the Ministry of Mines.

The landslide occurred on Tuesday afternoon, according to witnesses.

"The provisional death toll stands at more than 200 Congolese citizens, including approximately 70 child miners, and numerous injured who have been evacuated to medical facilities in Goma," the statement read.

These figures could not be confirmed with independent sources by news agencies AFP and Reuters.

The mine is in a remote region,approximately 70 kilometres west of Goma, the capital of the troubled North Kivu province in eastern DRC,to which humanit...