More than 100 dead after goldmine collapses in Central African Republic

The collapse was caused by a landslide, while local officials say the death toll is likely to rise as recovery efforts continue

More than 100 people have died after an artisanal goldmine at a small village in western Central African Republic (CAR) caved in due to a landslide, local officials and aid workers said on Wednesday.

The landslide happened on Tuesday afternoon in the village of Zamboye, about 50km (31 miles) from the town of Baboua and close to the border of Cameroon . Footage on social media appeared to show an avalanche of sand descend on a group of people, likely the miners, and cover them.

A statement by a local public prosecutor said many others were trapped under the deluge. It did not mention the number of fatalities. However, Gervais Ganagoroh, a Red Cross volunteer involved in the relief effort, told the Associated Press news agency on Wednesday that more than 100 bodies had been recovered from the collapse and ⁠a senior official at a local mining association confirmed that number to Reuters.

Local media in CAR reported that authorities had launched an investigation into the incident. A second prosecutor from Baboua told the press that the incident is believed to have been caused by “the collapse of several underground tunnels in which miners were operating”.

“The ground completely collapsed and buried people,” Cedric Mbango, a miner at the site, told the AFP news agency, describing the incident as “catastrophic”.

Rescuers are racing to retrieve the bodies of victims and find survivors among the miners, believed to be nationals of CAR and Cameroon. Authorities in Cameroon’s Eastern region said at least three of its citizens have been identified as victims in the incident.

Grégoire Mvongo, the region’s governor told state-owned radio on Wednesday that he was “working in close collaboration with our Central African colleagues to deal with the aftermath of this tragedy”.

Bertrand Be Yangué, a member of the Zamboye youth council, said that “finding them alive would be a miracle.” He added: “We are saddened and heartbroken to see young men and women perish after coming to the mines to save their families from despair.”

The toll is expected to rise as the rescue efforts continue, added Yangué.

The Central African news website Corbeau News reported that heavy machinery, including tractors, was being used in the retrieval mission and could jeopardise the rescue of those still alive under the landmass.

The exact number of people who were in the mine at the time of the cave-in remains unknown.

Small scale artisanal mines are common in different parts of Africa, despite regulations criminalising them, as unemployment continues to drive able-bodied men to abandoned or unused mines, to eke a living. The mining sites often operate with weak safety standards leading to repeated incidents: at least 40 people have died in several mining incidents in CAR this year alone.