At least 100 feared dead after gold mine collapse in Central African Republic
A landslide at a gold mine in the Central African Republic on Tuesday may have killed at least 100 people, local sources say. Search and rescue efforts continue near the border with Cameroon.
Local sources have told AFP that at least 100 people may have died after a landslide struck the Zamboye gold mining site in the Central African Republic on Tuesday, close to the country's border with Cameroon. Search and rescue operations were still underway on Wednesday.
Footage circulating on social media shows a large section of earth breaking away from the mine's edge and sliding into a crowd of people, burying several of them.
Laurent Ngon Baba, an elected official from the nearby town of Baboua, told AFP on Wednesday that establishing a confirmed death toll remained difficult at this stage. The public prosecutor in Baboua said the disaster is believed to stem from the collapse of several underground tunnels where miners had been working.
One miner who witnessed the collapse called it "catastrophic," saying the ground gave way entirely and buried people beneath it.
Gregoire Mvongo, governor of Cameroon's eastern region, told CRTV radio that Cameroonian authorities are working closely with their Central African counterparts to respond to the aftermath of the tragedy.
