Staff Reporter
More than 100 people have been killed following the collapse of an artisanal gold mine in the Central African Republic (CAR), amid growing concerns over unsafe and poorly regulated small-scale mining operations.
The disaster occurred on Tuesday at Zamboye village in Nana-Mambere prefecture, about 50 kilometres from Baboua near the border with Cameroon.
The mine, where hundreds of artisanal miners were reportedly working, collapsed after several underground tunnels gave way, trapping miners beneath the rubble.
Rescue and recovery operations were still underway yesterday, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise as several people remained missing.
Local Red Cross volunteer Gervais Ganagoroh said some survivors were critically injured and were receiving medical attention.
A member of the Zamboye youth council, Bertrand Be Yangué, said the community was devastated by the loss of young people who had turned to mining to support their families.
“The ground completely collapsed and buried people,” said one of the miners, Cedric Mbango, describing the incident as catastrophic.
The Baboua public prosecutor has since launched an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the collapse, identify the victims and determine whether criminal liability was involved.
Authorities were yet to establish a final official death toll yesterday.
At least four Cameroonian nationals were among those killed, according to reports from Cameroon, while survivors were taken to a hospital in Baboua.
Cameroonian authorities have also offered to receive and treat injured victims who may cross the border for medical assistance.
The tragedy has once again highlighted the dangers associated with artisanal mining in CAR, where thousands of people rely on informal mineral extraction for their livelihoods.
Many miners operate without adequate protective equipment or under proper safety standards, increasing the risk of fatal accidents.
The Zamboye disaster comes only months after another mine collapse along the CAR-Cameroon border killed several people, while other mining accidents earlier this year claimed dozens of lives.
Observers say widespread poverty, limited employment opportunities and weak regulation continue to push communities into dangerous informal mining activities.
The latest disaster has also renewed calls for stronger enforcement of mining regulations, improved safety standards and greater protection for workers in the artisanal mining sector.
Artisanal mining remains an important source of income for millions of people across sub-Saharan Africa, but repeated mine collapses in mineral-rich countries have exposed the human cost of operating outside formal regulatory and safety frameworks.
