Landslide Claims Dozens of Lives at Gold Mine in Central Africa

Landslide Claims Dozens of Lives at Gold Mine in Central Africa

Dozens of people lost their lives on Tuesday due to a landslide that occurred inside a gold mine in western Central Africa, near the border with Cameroon, local sources reported to Agence France-Presse on Wednesday.

A local official indicated that around forty fatalities were recorded in this incident, which took place at the artisanal gold mine in Zamboye, approximately 50 kilometers from the city of Baboua, near the Central African and Cameroon border. However, other local sources have reported that the death toll may be at least one hundred.

Landslides frequently occur in Central African mines, fueled by the region’s rich resources that many covet and often exploit illegally, without state oversight.

In a video of the incident circulating on social media, a section of the massive open mine site, where hundreds work, is seen collapsing and engulfing a significant number of miners.

A similar collapse in mid-June resulted in the deaths of several individuals at the gold mine in Pi-Mbari, which is also located near the Cameroon border.