A landslide at an illegal gold mine in western Central African Republic has killed dozens of people, with local sources putting the death toll as high as 100, while rescue teams continued searching the collapsed site, AFP reported.
The disaster occurred Tuesday afternoon, August 18, at the Zamboye mining site in Nana-Mambéré prefecture, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the town of Baboua near the border with Cameroon.
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Souleymane Bi, deputy mayor of the local sub-prefecture on Tuesday, said rescuers and residents had recovered 30 bodies from the mine after several hours of operations. Injured miners were also being treated, he said.
“It is horrible and we are calling for help from organisations and all people of good will to help pull from the hole those who are unable to do so,” Bi had said,
Although the death toll remained unclear, one local official on Tuesday estimated that around 40 people had died, other local sources said the number had crossed 100, according to reports.
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However, officials have yet not confirmed the exact number of casualties and are yet to release a confirmed official toll as rescue efforts continued.
The collapse has once again highlighted the risks facing workers in the Central African Republic's largely informal mining sector, where artisanal operations often function with limited state oversight and safety measures.
The country has significant gold deposits, but informal mining remains widespread, exposing workers to unstable ground, poorly secured shafts and other potentially fatal hazards.
Rescue teams were continuing to search the site for miners who remained trapped beneath the rubble, with local authorities appealing for additional assistance.
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