More than 100 people have reportedly been killed after a landslide tore through an artisanal gold mine in western Central African Republic, with rescuers still searching for people believed to be trapped underground near the Cameroon border.
The collapse struck on Tuesday at Zamboi, around 50 kilometres from Baboua in Nana-Mambere prefecture. Initial reports put the death toll at several dozen, but local officials and rescue workers later reported that more than 100 bodies had been recovered.
Footage captured on Thursday shows officials inspecting the sprawling mine site, with villagers and families gathered nearby before officials view bodies recovered from the collapse.
Authorities have yet to confirm the higher toll, with Mines and Geology Minister Ruffin Benam Beltoungou putting the number of confirmed deaths at 49 on Thursday.
He said President Faustin-Archange Touadera had ordered officials to travel to the site to assess the disaster and support affected families.
“Some reports spoke of several hundred deaths, others of dozens. That is why the Head of State has instructed us to travel to the scene as quickly as possible to assess the situation and share in the grief of our fellow citizens who have lost loved ones,” he said.
Benam Beltoungou also confirmed that the dead included Central African, Cameroonian and Chadian miners, with some bodies having been taken across the border to Cameroon.
A local traditional chief pointed to repeated warnings for artisanal miners to avoid working when conditions are treacherous, saying economic pressure had driven people to continue working despite the risks.
“I constantly try to raise awareness amongst the artisanal miners for their own well-being,” the chief said. “We know full well that things aren’t always easy; the cost of living has risen, and it’s a constant struggle. But despite everything, I keep trying to urge them not to work during the rainy season. And today we have lost our families, our sisters and brothers. It is truly sad and regrettable for our country.”
An investigation has been launched into the collapse at the mine close to the Kadey River, which forms part of the border between Central African Republic and Cameroon.
Artisanal gold mining provides a livelihood for thousands of people in mineral-rich parts of Central African Republic, where workers often dig pits and tunnels by hand with limited safety equipment.
The Zamboi disaster follows other deadly mining accidents in the country. At least eight people were reported killed in another landslide at an artisanal mining site in Kinyeme in June, also in the country’s west.
Source: Viory
