Kinshasa (Congo), Jul 11 (AP) 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.

Also Read | India: How Climate Change is Causing an Environmental Crisis.

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.

Also Read | China Says Its Foreign Minister Qin Gang Is Ill, a Senior Diplomat Will Take His Place at ASEAN.

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. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)