More than 100 people have died after an artisanal gold mine in a village in the western Central African Republic (CAR) collapsed following a landslide, according to local officials and aid workers.
The deadly incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon in Zamboye, around 50 kilometres from the town of Baboua near the border with Cameroon.
Footage circulating on social media appeared to show a massive wave of sand and earth descending on a group of people believed to be miners, burying them beneath the debris.
A local public prosecutor said several people remained trapped following the collapse, although the statement did not provide an exact death toll.
However, Gervais Ganagoroh, a Red Cross volunteer involved in the rescue operation, said more than 100 bodies had been recovered from the site. A senior official from a local mining association also confirmed the figure.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the tragedy. A prosecutor from Baboua said the collapse was believed to have been caused by several underground tunnels giving way while miners were working inside.
“The ground completely collapsed and buried people,” miner Cedric Mbango told AFP, describing the incident as catastrophic.
Rescue teams are working to recover bodies and search for survivors. The miners are believed to include nationals from both the Central African Republic and neighbouring Cameroon.
Authorities in Cameroon’s eastern region said at least three of its citizens had been identified among the victims.
Grégoire Mvongo, governor of Cameroon’s eastern region, said officials were coordinating with their Central African counterparts to respond to the tragedy.
Local community representative Bertrand Be Yangué said hopes of finding survivors were fading as rescue operations continued.
The death toll could rise further because the exact number of people inside the mine when it collapsed remains unknown.
Heavy machinery, including tractors, has reportedly been deployed to help remove the debris. However, concerns have been raised that the use of machinery could put people still trapped beneath the collapsed earth at further risk.
Artisanal and small-scale mining is widespread across parts of Africa, where unemployment pushes many people to work in abandoned or poorly regulated mining sites. Weak safety measures have contributed to repeated deadly accidents, including several mining incidents in the Central African Republic this year.
Also read: Coal mine collapse in Balochistan: Death toll climbs to 34