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Zamboye mine collapse
A landslide at the illegal Zamboye gold mine in the western Central African Republic near the border with Cameroon killed at least 100 people, with search operations still under way after the collapse on Tuesday afternoon.
“Search operations are still under way after the accident at the Zamboye mining site”
The accident occurred at the Zamboye mining site about 50 kilometres from the town of Baboua, and video images on social media showed part of the open-pit ground breaking away and burying people in its path.
Local sources and AFP reporting put the death toll at around 100, while the Central African Republic's prosecutor's office said the landslide was presumed caused by the collapse of multiple underground shafts where miners were working.
Cameroonian broadcaster CRTV reported that the death toll from the accident exceeded 100, and some local media outlets reported that 107 bodies had been recovered as rescue continued on Wednesday.
Voices and disputes
Miner Cedric Mbango told AFP, "The ground completely collapsed and buried people," describing the incident as "catastrophic."
Baboua elected official Laurent Ngon Baba told AFP, "At this stage it's difficult for us to establish a formal toll," as local estimates ranged from initial figures to higher counts.
Cameroonian opposition leader Maurice Kamto said the accident revealed "the inhumanity of those who grow rich from the illegal exploitation of minerals," while Movement for the Liberation of the Centrafrican People president Martin Ziguele said the government bears direct responsibility for the occurrence of these tragedies.
The Baboua public prosecutor said the landslide was believed to have been caused by "the collapse of several underground tunnels in which miners were operating," and announced a judicial inquiry had been opened.
Aftermath and what’s at risk
Rescue teams continued searching for survivors after the Zamboye collapse, while survivors were taken to hospital in Baboua and the window for survival was described as quickly closing for miners still buried at the site.
“Death tolls have ranged from "at least 30" initially to "over 100"”
The Baboua public prosecutor's office stated that an investigation had been launched, and the cause was given as the collapse of several underground tunnels in which miners were operating.
The incident is framed as part of a pattern of deadly accidents in the Central African Republic’s largely informal mining sector, where artisanal operations often function outside state control and without adequate protective equipment.
In the same border region, the sources point to other recent collapses, including a similar collapse at the Be-Mbari gold mining site in June that killed several dozen, and a landslide in February in Gordi that killed 20 people.
