Gold Mine Collapse Kills At Least 100 In CAR

A landslide at an illegal gold mine in the Central African Republic (CAR) has killed at least 100 people, with search operations continuing for survivors and victims.

The accident occurred on Tuesday afternoon at the Zamboye mining site, about 50 kilometres from the town of Baboua near the border with Cameroon. Hundreds of artisanal miners reportedly work at the open-pit site.

Local sources said about 100 people had died and many others were injured after part of the mining ground collapsed and buried workers.

A miner at the site, Cedric Mbango, described the incident as catastrophic, saying the ground had completely collapsed and trapped people underground.

The Baboua public prosecutor said the landslide was believed to have been caused by the collapse of several underground tunnels where miners were working. Authorities have opened a judicial inquiry into the disaster.

Officials cautioned that the death toll had not yet been formally confirmed as rescue teams continued searching the site.

At least four of those killed were reportedly Cameroonian, according to the Cameroon Tribune. Survivors were taken to a hospital in Baboua.

Cameroonian and Central African authorities are working together on the response, officials said.

The tragedy follows several mining accidents in the region. A similar collapse at the Be-Mbari gold mine on the CAR-Cameroon border killed dozens of people in June.

SOURCE: AFP