Death toll rises to 100 as rescuers recover more bodies after Central African Republic gold mine collapse

BANGUI: Hopes of finding survivors of a collapsed gold mine in Central African Republic were fading Thursday, two days after the disaster killed more than 100 individuals and left others buried under debris.

Key points

• Among the dead were four Cameroonians and two Chadians, Abdon Adamou, the mayor of Garoua-Boulai, a Cameroonian town near the mining site, informed The Associated Press.
• Local authorities and the Red Cross stated Wednesday that more than 100 individuals had died in the collapse and cautioned the toll was probable to rise.
• The local Red Cross was helping with the search but could not say how plenty of residents remained buried, volunteer Gervais Ganagoro noted.
• Artisanal mine collapses are common in Central African Republic, where thousands of individuals work in small-scale mining, often with little protection.
• Cameroon's Mines Ministry remarked both Cameroonian and Central African miners were believed to be among the dead and deployed a team to assess the situation along the border.

Rescuers continued recovering bodies from the artisanal mining site in Zamboye, near the border with Cameroon, but local workers remarked the response lacked the equipment and expertise needed for a disaster of such scale.

"The rescue effort is being organised, but it is not up to the task, " remarked Jérémie Ngbiri, a miner at the site who lost his brother and a friend in the collapse.

Ngbiri remarked he saw some victims suffocate as residents tried to rescue them.

Notably, the local Red Cross was helping with the search but could not say how plenty of residents remained buried, volunteer Gervais Ganagoro noted.

"We continue to find bodies, " he remarked, adding that more than 10 were recovered Thursday morning alone. "Every hour, bodies are being discovered, increasing the number of victims."

In practice, the Baboua subprefecture court remarked in an official note that a number of underground tunnels in which the miners were working had collapsed, causing a landslide.

As well as establish any potential criminal liability, the statement remarked, an investigation has been opened to determine why the tunnels collapsed, identify the victims and those responsible for operating the site.

Artisanal mine collapses are common in Central African Republic, where thousands of individuals work in small-scale mining, often with little protection. Pits are frequently dug by hand and can reach a number of meters deep.

Without adequate reinforcement, shifting ground can cause tunnels to collapse suddenly, burying miners within seconds.

Mines Minister Rufin Benam Beltoungou expressed condolences to victims' families and cautioned miners concerning the dangers of unsafe mining practices, according to a statement posted by the ministry.

Some of the victims were from neighboring Cameroon. Cameroon's Mines Ministry remarked both Cameroonian and Central African miners were believed to be among the dead and deployed a team to assess the situation along the border. .

Researchers and local media documented earlier this year on unsafe and unregulated mining associated with a rapidly expanding gold rush around Zamboye, where the mine collapsed.

For context, a 2025 report by U.N. Experts documented illicit mining in the area, including the involvement of armed groups and the employ of extraction methods that posed health and environmental risks.

For now, death toll rises to 100 as rescuers recover more bodies after Central remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.