The collapse occurred around 2:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday, 18 August, at an artisanal mine site on the CAR side of the border. Officials confirmed the death toll as at least 49, though local media reports estimate more than 100 fatalities, with 107 bodies reportedly recovered from the debris. The victims include 34 CAR nationals, 13 Cameroonians and two Chadians, according to CAR's Minister of Mines and Geology Rufin Benam-Beltoungou.
"The chance of finding survivors is getting slimmer," said Florian Gaguende, a surviving miner. Bertrand Be Yangué, a member of the Zamboye youth council, described the situation with heavy emotion: "We are saddened and heartbroken to see young men and women perish after coming to the mines to save their families from despair. Finding them alive would be a miracle."
A Community in Mourning
The collapse of the gold mine in the northwestern village of Zamboye, 1,230 kilometres from Bangui, has plunged the small community into deep mourning. In the days following the tragedy, relatives have been gathering to identify the bodies of their loved ones and conduct burials in accordance with local customs.
Minister Benam-Beltoungou, who visited the site, expressed his condolences and underscored the urgent need to regulate the informal mining sector to prevent future disasters.
"We are doing our best to recover all the bodies. The government will provide financial support to families of the victims. This tragedy highlights the urgent need to regulate the artisanal mining sector," Benam-Beltoungou said.
The Dangers of Artisanal Mining
The tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by artisanal miners who work without proper safety equipment or regulatory oversight. Central African Republic has already recorded at least 40 deaths from mining accidents this year alone.
Artisanal mining is common in rural CAR, where many young people have turned to the extraction of gold, diamonds and other minerals as a source of income amid widespread poverty and limited employment opportunities. The sector is largely unregulated, with miners working in precarious conditions, often without safety equipment or proper training.
The Central African Republic is rich in gold, diamonds and other minerals, but the extraction of these resources is largely driven by artisanal miners who operate with little oversight. The collapse of the Zamboye mine has renewed calls for stricter regulation of the sector to prevent future tragedies.
Investigation Underway
A prosecutor has opened an investigation to determine the cause of the collapse and identify those responsible for operating the site. Local authorities have also begun efforts to identify and register the victims to facilitate the payment of compensation to the families.
The tragedy in Zamboye has also drawn attention to the broader challenges facing the Central African Republic, which has struggled with instability and violence for more than a decade. The CAR has one of the world's lowest GDP per capita and some of its highest poverty rates, where illegal gold is sometimes traded to finance armed groups and the unregulated mining sector is often linked to armed groups that exploit the resources.
A Glimmer of Hope
Despite the scale of the tragedy, there were no survivors among those trapped, according to the latest reports from the site. However, the swift response by local authorities and the government's promise of compensation have offered some comfort to the grieving families.
Minister Benam-Beltoungou reaffirmed the government's commitment to ensuring the safety of miners and preventing such accidents in the future. He also called on international partners to support efforts to regulate the sector and improve safety standards.
With reporting from Xinhua, AFP, BBC News, OkayAfrica, ETtoday and BDNews24.
