Gold Mine Collapses in Central African Republic, Killing at Least 30 Miners
Rescuers and residents have pulled 30 bodies from the collapsed Zamboye gold mine, while officials say the final toll remains unclear.
- On Tuesday, a landslide at the Zamboye gold mine in the western Central African Republic killed at least 30 miners, authorities and residents said. The collapse at the open-pit site near the Cameroon border buried workers as rescue teams began searching for survivors.
- Hundreds of miners work at the low-tech, artisanal site in the Nana-Mambere prefecture, where operations often function outside state control. Work remains risky because miners typically lack protective measures, leading to frequent deadly accidents.
- Survivor Florian Gaguende described the scene as catastrophic, while Miner Cedric Mbango noted that people remained trapped underground. Video footage circulating on social media showed a section of the site giving way and burying workers.
- Rescuers and residents pulled 30 bodies from the collapsed mine, though Baboua local official Laurent Ngon Baba told AFP, "It is difficult for us to establish a formal toll at this stage." Injured miners received treatment as recovery operations continued.
- Recurring tragedies illustrate the systemic lack of safety oversight in the Central African Republic's mining sector. Reports document deadly collapses including seven deaths in Ngourroum in March, 20 in Gordi in February, and another at the Be-Mbari site in June.
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The devastating landslide that occurred on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at a gold mining site in Zamboi, on the border between the Central African Republic and Cameroon, has claimed dozens of lives, according to a preliminary report. Several dozen people are also missing and may be buried under the rubble. As the search continues, opposition parties in the Central African Republic and Cameroon are questioning the conditions under which gold mines a…
A major landslide took place in a artisanal gold mine in the Central African Republic. At least 100 people died in the accident. Research continues to try to find survivors. - Central African Republic: at least 100 people died after a landslide in a gold mine (International).
The death toll from a mine collapse at a traditional gold mine near Zamboye village in the Central African Republic, close to the Cameroon border, has risen to 107. Many miners are believed to be still trapped, and search and rescue operations are ongoing.
Central African Republic gold mine collapse kills over 100, mining official says
Aug 19 (Reuters) - More than 100 people were killed when an artisanal gold mine collapsed in Central African Republic, an official at a local mining association said on Wednesday. The mine collapse happened on Tuesday in the village of Zamboye, n...
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