At least 107 miners killed as gold mine collapses in Central African Republic

 

At least 107 artisanal miners have lost their lives due to a devastating gold mine collapse and subsequent landslide in the western Central African Republic (CAR).

This tragic event took place on the morning of Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at an unlicensed, low-tech mining site in the village of Zamboye (also known as Zamboï), situated in the Abba region of the Nana-Mambéré prefecture near the border with Cameroon.

The catastrophe occurred when several underground shafts and tunnels gave way, resulting in a significant landslide that buried hundreds of workers beneath heavy mud and water. Local officials and relief volunteers have confirmed the recovery of 107 deceased individuals thus far, while rescue and recovery teams continue to search through the debris as more victims remain unaccounted for.

The combination of heavy rainfall and inadequately supported structures led to the collapse of multiple underground tunnels, causing a large mass of earth to fall and engulf the open-air pit.

This disaster has also affected cross-border workers; the governor of Cameroon's East Region has confirmed that at least four of the deceased are Cameroonian nationals, whose remains are being returned to their home country.

Survivors extracted from the mud are being taken to a hospital in Baboua, located approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the incident site. Cameroonian authorities are providing medical assistance as well.

The public prosecutor’s office in Baboua has initiated an official investigation to determine the cause of the landslide and to identify the unregulated operators responsible for managing the site.

Artisanal, low-tech mining serves as a vital source of income for thousands of families in the region. However, since these operations function entirely outside of governmental oversight, safety regulations and protective gear are nearly absent.

The heavy dependence on manual labor, combined with environmental risks such as torrential rains, renders sudden tunnel collapses a frequent and lethal threat throughout the country.