3 dead in eastern Congo helicopter crash

Three people were killed in a helicopter crash in southeastern Congo, said local authorities on Tuesday.

The helicopter, owned by a mining corporation, crashed at noon on Monday as it was traveling from one mine to another. It was found in a ravine in the cobalt-rich province of Lualaba, said Guy Sha Hemwa, a local government official in the area.

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The victims were subcontractors for the Boss Mining company and included a South African, who was head of the G4S security company, his Polish deputy and the French pilot, he said.

The cause of the crash is not yet known.

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The bodies have been taken to a morgue in nearby Lubumbashi city.

The mineral-rich country is the world’s largest producer of cobalt, used to make lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. Congo is also Africa’s top producer of copper, and lithium was recently found there.