Central African Republic mine kills 100, sources say

Local sources said around 100 people were killed when a landslide hit an illegal gold mine in western Central African Republic, while an official said no formal death toll had yet been established.

The accident happened Tuesday afternoon at the Zamboye mining site, about 50 kilometres from Baboua and near the border with Cameroon. Search operations continued Wednesday, and many other people were injured, local sources said.

Survivors were taken to hospital in Baboua. Cameroon Tribune reported that at least four of the victims were Cameroonian.

Baboua elected official Laurent Ngon Baba said early Wednesday that it was still difficult to establish a formal toll.

The Baboua public prosecutor said the landslide was believed to have been caused by the collapse of several underground tunnels where miners were working. The prosecutor said a judicial inquiry had been opened.

Cedric Mbango, a miner at the site, said the ground collapsed and buried people. Video images on social media showed part of the ground at the large open-pit mining site breaking away and burying people in its path.

Gregoire Mvongo, governor of Cameroon's eastern region, said on public broadcaster CRTV that authorities were working with their Central African counterparts after the accident.

The collapse prompted criticism from opposition figures in both countries. Martin Ziguele, president of the Movement for the Liberation of the Centrafrican People, said the government bore direct responsibility for such tragedies. Cameroonian opposition leader Maurice Kamto said the accident exposed dangerous conditions at unregulated mining sites.

Landslides are common in illegal mining operations outside state control in the mineral-rich Central African Republic. In June, a similar collapse killed several dozen people at the Be-Mbari gold mining site, also on the Cameroon border. A landslide killed seven people at a mine in Ngourroum in March, and another 20 people were killed in February in Gordi.

Cameroon adopted a new mining code in 2023. Last month, its government announced stronger controls in the gold sector after finding a discrepancy between gold exports declared by customs and imports declared by importing countries. The government says more than 200 companies are carrying out mining activities in Cameroon without a permit or authorisation.