A landslide at an artisanal goldmine in Zamboye, Central African Republic, killed more than 100 people and left many others trapped under the rubble, according to multiple sources. The collapse occurred on Tuesday afternoon and was captured in footage on social media showing an avalanche of sand engulfing the miners. Gervais Ganagoroh, a Red Cross volunteer, told the Associated Press that more than 100 bodies had been recovered, a number confirmed by a senior official at a local mining association to Reuters.

Illegal and Unsafe Mining Practices

Souleymane Bi, the vice mayor of Zamboye, stated that the mine operated without proper regulations and that the number of dead was likely to rise; the mine is described as an artisanal site, where miners dig deep tunnels without adequate safety measures. “The ground completely collapsed and buried people,” Cedric Mbango, a miner at the site, told AFP, calling the incident “catastrophic.”

Bi added that the tragedy was “previsible,” noting that the miners “cavan pozos profundos para extraer oro” without safety precautions, as he expressed sorrow for the young miners who had no other choice but to work in such dangerous conditions. According to the Cameroon Tribune, at least four citizens from Cameroon were among the dead.

International and Local Response

Authorities in Cameroon’s Eastern region confirmed that at least three of its citizens were identified as victims; Grégoire Mvongo, the region’s governor, stated that he was working closely with Central African officials to manage the aftermath of the tragedy. Local media in the Central African Republic reported that an investigation had been launched into the incident.

Rescuers are continuing efforts to recover bodies and search for any survivors, though the depth of the collapse and the unstable ground make the operation dangerous. The second prosecutor from Baboua indicated that the cause of the collapse was likely the failure of multiple underground tunnels where the miners were working. No formal charges have been filed as of yet, but the incident has sparked calls for improved regulation and safety standards in the artisanal mining sector.

Historical Pattern of Tragedies

This is not the first major mining disaster in the Central African Republic; a similar incident occurred in May of this year with a high death toll. The current tragedy exposes the ongoing risks faced by miners in the region, who often work in precarious conditions with little to no oversight; the lack of regulation and enforcement has contributed to a pattern of fatal accidents in the gold mining industry.

Authorities in both the Central African Republic and Cameroon have expressed concern over the growing number of casualties in the mining sector — the governments have been urged to take stronger measures to ensure the safety of workers and to enforce legal mining operations. For now, the focus remains on the recovery efforts and the investigation into the causes of the collapse.