Zamboye Mine: four Cameroonians among more than 100 dead in the Central African Republic.

Rescue teams continued to extract bodies from the site on Thursday, August 20. More than ten bodies were found in the morning, according to Gervais Ganagoro, a Red Cross volunteer quoted by the Associated Press. The number of people still buried was not known.

The court of the sub-prefecture of Baboua indicated that several underground tunnels where the miners were working had collapsed, causing a landslide. An investigation has been opened to determine the causes of the tragedy, identify the victims and the operators of the site, as well as potential criminal responsibilities.

The Cameroonian Ministry of Mines specified that the accident occurred at the site nicknamed “Moscow,” on the Central African side of Zamboye. The locality extends on both sides of the border, separated by the Kadey watercourse: mining is primarily alluvial on the Cameroonian side, while the affected site is located in a hilly area with steep slopes.

A mobilization on both sides of the border

Among the recorded dead are four Cameroonians and two Chadians, according to Abdon Adamou, the mayor of Garoua-Boulaï, interviewed by the Associated Press. The elected official said he was working with Central African authorities to repatriate wounded Cameroonians and the remains of his compatriots.

The Cameroonian Ministry of Mines has deployed an assessment mission to the border area. It stated that Cameroonian and Central African miners were among the victims, without providing a definitive national toll in its statement released after the accident.

Heavy rains have weakened the soil, according to the mayor of Garoua-Boulaï. The Cameroonian ministry also reminded that the risks of landslides and mudslides increase during the rainy season on sloped sites when safety measures are not sufficiently followed.

Rescue teams facing a lack of resources

Workers present on site described search operations slowed down by a lack of equipment and expertise suitable for the scale of the disaster. The local Red Cross was participating in the search, but hopes of finding survivors were dwindling two days after the collapse.

Thousands of people are involved in artisanal mining in the Central African Republic, often in hand-dug pits that are inadequately supported. The Central African Minister of Mines, Rufin Benam Beltoungou, expressed condolences to the families and warned against dangerous mining practices, while the judicial investigation still needs to determine who was operating the site at the time of the tragedy.