Bouwar: A major tragedy has occurred in the Central African Republic. An illegal gold mine collapsed, killing 100 people. Many such incidents continue to happen in this country rich in mineral resources.
The tragedy occurred in the Zamboye mining area, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the Central African town of Baboua, on the border with Cameroon. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing there. Videos of the collapse in the gold mining area while hundreds of artisanal miners were working have gone viral on social media.
Local sources said that about 100 people have died and many others have been injured. A gold mining area collapsed completely, trapping workers in the mud, a miner working at the site, Cedric Mbango, told AFP, describing the incident as “devastating.”
The Baboua public prosecutor said in a statement that the landslide was believed to have occurred “when underground tunnels collapsed” and that a judicial investigation had been launched. It was difficult to say exactly how many people had died at this stage, the Baboua elected official Laurent Ngon Baba told AFP early Wednesday.
At least four of the dead were Cameroonians, the Cameroon Tribune reported. The survivors were taken to hospital in Baboua. But the search continued on Wednesday.
Landslides are common in the Central African Republic in illegal operations outside state control. “Our authorities are working closely with our Central African colleagues after this tragedy,” Gregoire Mwongo, governor of the eastern Cameroonian region, told state-run CRTV radio.