Cameroon: at least 107 dead in the collapse of a gold mining site near the Central African Republic

The tragedy happened around 2 PM, while several hundred artisanal miners were on site. Witnesses filmed the collapse of a significant mass of earth from the top of a crater, burying people who were working below.

The mayor of Garoua-Boulaï, quoted by RFI, indicated that 107 bodies had been counted in an initial report. This figure remains provisional, as search and clearing operations are still underway.

A mining site prone to accidents

The site in Zamboï is described as one of the most dangerous in this border area between Cameroon and the Central African Republic. Several trade unions in the sector regularly denounce the lack of adherence to safety regulations on gold mining sites in eastern Cameroon.

Operations are carried out both by Chinese companies engaged in semi-industrial activities and by Cameroonian and Central African artisanal miners. According to industry stakeholders, intensive digging weakens the soil and increases the likelihood of collapses.

Accidents are recurring in the gold mining areas of the region, where workers often operate without proper technical supervision or sufficient protective equipment. In the case of Zamboï, the authorities have not yet communicated the precise causes of the landslide or any potential measures that could be taken against the operators.