ALBAWABA- At least 100 people were killed when an artisanal gold mine collapsed in the western Central African Republic on Tuesday, with local sources reporting that as many as 107 bodies had been recovered. The death toll could rise as rescue teams continue searching for miners believed to be trapped beneath the debris.
The collapse occurred at a gold-mining site in Zamboye, in Nana-Mambéré prefecture near the border with Cameroon. The site is about 50 kilometers from the Central African town of Baboua and lies near Garoua-Boulaï on the Cameroonian side of the border.
Witnesses and local officials said the ground suddenly gave way, burying miners working in open pits and underground tunnels. A miner, Cédric Mbango, described the incident as catastrophic, saying the ground collapsed completely and buried workers.
Residents and volunteers began digging through the debris with limited equipment in an effort to recover victims and search for survivors. More than 100 bodies had reportedly been recovered by Wednesday, while several injured miners were taken to hospitals in Baboua and Bouar. Some miners remained missing or trapped, although rescuers said the chances of finding additional survivors were diminishing.
The collapse has highlighted the dangerous conditions in the Central African Republic’s artisanal mining sector, where miners frequently work in deep pits and makeshift underground tunnels with little or no safety equipment or engineering oversight. Local officials said the Zamboye site was operating without adequate safety standards, raising questions about regulation and responsibility for the disaster.
The Baboua prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the collapse, including the condition of the underground tunnels, the circumstances surrounding the accident and the potential responsibility of those operating the site. Authorities are also working to identify the victims and determine the final death toll.
Government spokesman Evariste Ngamana expressed condolences to the victims’ families and said authorities were working to provide assistance. Local officials have appealed for additional support for the rescue and recovery operation.
Artisanal gold mining is widespread across the Central African Republic, where poverty, limited employment opportunities and weak state presence have pushed thousands of people into informal mining. The sector provides an important source of income for communities but is frequently associated with hazardous working conditions, unregulated excavation and inadequate safety measures.
