Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo – It was the afternoon of Thursday, January 29 in the eastern Congolese city of Goma. More than 24 hours had passed since Grace Barata’s relatives had any word about him.For days, Barata had been in the town of Rubaya, about 60km (37 miles) northwest of Goma, at a mine where he worked. But the day before, news had reached the family that there was a huge landslide and hundreds of people were dead.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listAlmost sure they would never see him again, Barata’s family began making funeral arrangements.Then, at about 6pm on Thursday, they were shocked and overjoyed as he was brought through the door of the house, weary and exhausted – but alive.“We had already begun to mourn our brother,” Munguiko Ntacyumpenze, Barata’s cousin, told Al Jazeera from the family home in Goma.“We were overwhelmed and found it difficult to accept this situation because we did not expect [that he was alive]. By the grace of God, he has returned from the dead,” he said with a smile.Barata, 35, who began working on the mines in 2012, was one of the rare survivors.Rebel authorities in charge of the town say at least 200 people were killed when the coltan mine in the mineral-rich eastern DRC city collapsed last week.Many victims died of asphyxiation due to a lack of oxygen, while others were crushed by the weight of the earth caving in around them.Heavy rains …
