CAR Rescuers Recover More Bodies After 100-Plus Mine Deaths as Hopes Fade in Zamboye
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 20
CAR Rescuers Recover More Bodies After 100-Plus Mine Deaths as Hopes Fade in Zamboye
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 20
Summary
More than 10 bodies were pulled from the Zamboye gold mine on Thursday morning alone, as rescuers said hopes of finding survivors were fading two days after the collapse killed over 100 people.
Several underground tunnels gave way and triggered a landslide at the artisanal site near the Cameroon border, with local officials and aid workers pointing to heavy rain and unsafe, unstabilized pits.
The Baboua subprefecture court opened an investigation into the collapse, the identities of victims and site operators, and any criminal liability tied to the mine.
Four Cameroonians and two Chadians were among the dead, and Cameroonian authorities are coordinating with CAR to repatriate injured miners and bodies.
The disaster underscores widening safety risks around Zamboye's fast-growing gold rush, where unregulated artisanal mining has expanded alongside reports of illicit activity and armed-group involvement.