Toxic leak from massive diamond mine in Angola kills at least 12 in DR Congo

A toxic leak from a massive diamond mine in Angola killed at least 12 people and left 4,500 sick, a minister in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo says.

The leak turned a tributary of the River Congo red and killed huge numbers of fish, which some people ate, said Environment Minister Eve Bazaiba.

She said that DR Congo would seek damages but did not specify how much. 

There has been no public response so far from the Catoca mine’s owners.

According to Reuters news agency, the mine produces about 75 percent of Angola’s diamonds.