Central African Republic: at least 100 dead in gold mine collapse on Cameroon border

(Adnkronos) – At least 100 people have died in the collapse of a gold mine on the border between Cameroon and the Central African Republic. The incident occurred around noon on Tuesday in Zamboyé, about 50 kilometers from the city of Baboua. “It’s a catastrophe. The ground completely collapsed and buried people,” Cédric Mbango, a miner from the Zamboyé mine, told Afp. Collapses are frequent in the mines of this Central African state, whose subsoil is particularly rich in resources and highly contested. Mining activities are often conducted illegally, outside of any state control. In mid-June, a similar collapse caused several dozen deaths in the Bé-Mbari gold mine, also located on the border with Cameroon, in the Nana-Mambéré department.