More than 100 people have died after an artisanal gold mine collapsed in western Central African Republic, with several others feared trapped beneath the rubble.
The accident occurred on Tuesday morning in Zamboye village, Nana-Mambere prefecture, near the border with Cameroon.
A local Red Cross volunteer involved in the rescue operation and a member of the Zamboye youth council confirmed the rising death toll. Several survivors sustained critical injuries, while rescue teams continued searching for miners still believed to be underground.
Bertrand Be Yangué, a member of the local youth council, said the chances of finding more survivors were slim.
“Finding them alive would be a miracle,” he said, mourning the young men and women who had entered the mine in search of income to support their families.
Images from the scene showed mud-covered miners recovering bodies from the collapsed pit, while dozens of people gathered around the sprawling mining site and called for assistance.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the collapse, identify the victims and establish who was responsible for operating the mine.
The prosecutor at the Baboua sub-prefecture court said investigators would also examine whether those responsible could face criminal charges.
Artisanal mining is widespread in the Central African Republic, where thousands of people rely on small-scale gold mining for their livelihoods. However, the sector is often characterised by poor safety standards, inadequate equipment and limited regulatory oversight.
The Zamboye disaster has renewed concerns about the dangers faced by informal miners and prompted calls for stronger regulation and improved safety measures across the sector.
As rescue and recovery operations continue, families remain anxiously awaiting information about relatives who are still missing.
The tragedy has left the Zamboye community in mourning and intensified demands for safer working conditions and greater government oversight of artisanal mining operations.
