At least 50 people have been killed in a landslide at a gold mine in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The landslide occurred at an artisanal gold mine in the town of Kamituga in South Kivu Province after heavy rains for several days.

The mine collapsed at around 3 p.m local time.

 Some people are reported missing in the landslide.

 According to provincial officials, most of the victims are young. Local media quoted locals who survived the incident as saying, "They died in a landslide caused by water entering three deep pits dug for the mine."

The mayor of Kamituga city, Alexandre Bundya Mupila, has declared two days of mourning after the incident.

He even urged the locals to help the rescuers to remove the bodies from the ground. Unscientific excavations of mines in the southern province of Kivu have caused landslides in settlements and surrounding areas every year.

 As a result, hundreds die in a famine.