Gold Mine Collapse in Central African Republic Kills Over 100
Theo Eromo Egbejule
A landslide at an artisanal gold mine in Zamboye, western Central African Republic, killed more than 100 people on Tuesday afternoon. Rescue crews are still searching for survivors, and the death toll is expected to rise.
More than 100 people were killed when an artisanal gold mine collapsed in the village of Zamboye in western Central African Republic (CAR) due to a landslide, according to local officials and aid workers on Wednesday.
The landslide occurred on Tuesday afternoon in Zamboye, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the town of Baboua and near the border with Cameroon. A video posted on social media shows a large mass of sand crashing down on a group of people, likely miners, burying them.
A statement from a local prosecutor said many others were trapped under the debris but did not give a casualty figure. However, Gervais Ganagoroh, a Red Cross volunteer involved in rescue efforts, confirmed to the Associated Press (AP) on Wednesday that more than 100 bodies had been recovered, and a senior official from the local mining association also confirmed the figure to Reuters.
Authorities in CAR have launched an investigation into the incident. A second prosecutor from Baboua said the incident was believed to have been caused by “the collapse of several underground tunnels where miners were working.”
“The ground completely caved in and buried people,” Cedric Mbango, a miner at the scene, told Agence France-Presse (AFP), calling it a “disaster.”
Rescue teams were racing to recover victims’ bodies and search for survivors among the miners, who are believed to be citizens of both CAR and Cameroon. The regional government of East Cameroon said at least three of its nationals were identified as victims.
Grégoire Mvongo, the regional governor, told state radio on Wednesday that he was “working closely with Central African colleagues to deal with the aftermath of this tragedy.”
Bertrand Be Yangué, a member of Zamboye’s youth council, said that “finding them alive would be a miracle.” He added: “We are grieving and heartbroken to see young men and women die after coming to the mines to save their families from despair.” Yangué also said the death toll is expected to rise as rescue efforts continue.
Central African news site Corbeau News reported that heavy machinery, including tractors, was being used in the search operation and could endanger rescuing survivors trapped under the earth.
The exact number of people present at the mine at the time of the collapse has not been determined.
Small-scale artisanal mines are prevalent in many parts of Africa, despite being officially banned, as high unemployment drives able-bodied men to abandoned or disused pits to make a living. Mining areas often operate with poor safety standards, leading to recurring incidents: at least 40 people have died in various mining accidents in CAR in this year alone.
