More than 100 people have died after an artisanal gold mine collapsed in Zamboye village, located in the Nana-Mambéré prefecture of the Central African Republic. The landslide occurred approximately 31 miles from Baboua town, near the Cameroon border.
Rescue Operations Underway
Frantic rescue operations are currently taking place to locate and rescue those thought to be buried under the debris following the catastrophe earlier this week. Distressing video footage shared across social media platforms appeared to capture a torrent of sand overwhelming a substantial gathering close to the mine moments before its collapse. The fatality count is anticipated to climb, with numerous individuals still unaccounted for as emergency teams work to find those entombed beneath the wreckage.
Local Officials Express Grief
Bertrand Be Yangué, a representative of the Zamboye youth council, stated: "Finding them alive would be a miracle." He continued: "We are saddened and heartbroken to see young men and women perish after coming to the mines to save their families from despair."
Devastating scenes from the location revealed mud-caked miners extracting corpses from the excavation, while scores of others wandered the extensive mining site calling out for assistance.
Victims and Investigation
The workers are thought to originate from CAR and Cameroon. Officials in Cameroon's Eastern region confirmed that at least three of their nationals have been identified among the casualties. The precise number of individuals present in the mine when it collapsed remains unclear. An inquiry to identify the casualties and those accountable for running the site is ongoing, the prosecutor at the Baboua sub-prefecture court confirmed in a statement. The probe will aim to determine what triggered the collapse and any possible criminal responsibility.
A second prosecutor revealed the incident is thought to have resulted from "the collapse of several underground tunnels in which miners were operating." Calling the incident "catastrophic," Cedric Mbango, a miner at the site, told AFP that "the ground completely collapsed and buried people."
