At least 60 people have been killed in a landslide at a gold mine in a remote area of north-eastern Congo, an official has said.

Local administrator Faustin Drakana Kananga told The Associated Press today that it took crews four days to get to the mine following the accident in Pangoyi on Monday.

The area is controlled by members of a militia and located in a dense jungle.

Mr Kananga said the miners were in an area about 330ft (100m) below the surface at the time of the accident.

Congo, a vast nation in central Africa, is mired in poverty despite enormous mineral riches following decades of dictatorship and war. Many Congolese try to eke out a living through small-scale mining though the practice remains dangerous and unregulated.