More than 100 people have died after an artisanal gold mine caved in due to a landslide in the village of Zamboye, western Central African Republic (CAR), local officials and aid workers confirmed. The disaster occurred on Wednesday in Zamboye, located about 50 km (31 miles) from the town of Baboua and close to the border with Cameroon.
Landslide buries miners in Zamboye
Video footage on social media showed an avalanche of sand descending on a group of miners, burying them underneath. A local public prosecutor confirmed that many others remain trapped beneath the debris, noting that the incident was caused by "the collapse of several underground tunnels in which miners were operating." A Red Cross volunteer involved in the relief effort and a senior official at a local mining association both confirmed that over 100 bodies have been recovered.
Cedric Mbango, a miner at the site, described the scene saying: “The ground completely collapsed and buried people. It was catastrophic.”
Rescuers race against time to find survivors
Rescuers continue to race against time to retrieve victims and look for survivors among the miners, who are believed to be nationals of both CAR and Cameroon. Authorities in Cameroon’s Eastern region confirmed that several of its citizens have been identified among the dead. Grégoire Mvongo, the regional governor, stated that officials are working in close collaboration with Central African authorities to handle the aftermath.
Bertrand Be Yangué, a member of the local Zamboye youth council, expressed grief over the devastation. “Finding them alive would be a miracle. We are saddened and heartbroken to see young men and women perish after coming to the mines to save their families from despair.”
Heavy machinery used in retrieval mission
Heavy machinery is being used in the retrieval mission, though local reports indicate that the equipment could jeopardise the safety of anyone still alive under the earth. The exact number of workers inside the mine at the time of the collapse remains unknown.
Small-scale artisanal mining is widespread across the region due to high unemployment. Operating with little oversight or structural safety, these makeshift operations frequently lead to fatal disasters, with dozens of miners killed in similar incidents across CAR this year alone.
