More than 100 people are feared dead after an artisanal gold mine collapsed in the Central African Republic (CAR), in one of the country’s deadliest mining accidents in recent years.
The collapse occurred on Tuesday at a gold mining site in Zamboye, a village near the border with Cameroon.
A senior official of a local mining association said more than 100 people were killed in the disaster. However, a prosecutor confirmed that a mine had collapsed in the area but said authorities were still working to establish the exact death toll.
Rescue teams continued operations on Wednesday, searching the collapsed site for survivors and recovering bodies from the mine.
Authorities have also announced an investigation to determine what caused the collapse and establish who was operating the site.
The tragedy has renewed concerns about the safety conditions under which artisanal and small-scale mining is carried out across parts of Africa.
Thousands of people depend on informal mining for their livelihoods, particularly in rural communities where employment opportunities are limited. However, many of these operations take place with little regulatory oversight, inadequate protective equipment and poor engineering standards.
Unstable mine shafts and tunnels, rudimentary excavation methods and limited access to emergency services can expose miners to serious risks, including tunnel collapses, landslides and flooding.
The location of the Zamboye mine near Cameroon has also led to a cross-border response. Cameroonian authorities have indicated that they are prepared to receive injured miners who cross the border for medical treatment if local facilities are unable to cope with the casualties.
The scale of the reported deaths has raised questions about the mine’s operating conditions and whether adequate safety measures were in place before the collapse.
Authorities are expected to examine those issues as part of the investigation, including whether the mine was operating within the required regulatory framework.
The incident also highlights the difficulties emergency teams face when responding to accidents at remote artisanal mining sites, which are often located far from major hospitals, roads and specialised rescue services.
For now, rescue efforts remain the priority as authorities work to account for those who were underground when the collapse occurred and confirm the final number of casualties.
Beyond the immediate rescue operation, the disaster is likely to intensify calls for stronger regulation, safety standards and formalisation of artisanal mining in the Central African Republic.
For communities that rely on the sector for their livelihoods, the challenge remains finding a balance between protecting those jobs and ensuring that miners are not forced to work in conditions where a day’s income could come at the cost of their lives.
