Dozens feared dead after gold mine collapse in Central African Republic

A massive landslide and collapse at an artisanal gold mine in the Central African Republic has left dozens to over a hundred workers dead, according to local officials and witnesses.

The disaster occurred in the western mining area near the border with Cameroon, roughly 50 kilometres from the town of Baboua. Large sections of soil collapsed directly onto people working inside the open-pit and underground shafts. Emergency personnel and volunteers continue to search the site, though prospects of recovering survivors are rapidly diminishing.

Casualty figures remain varied, with initial reports indicating at least 30 fatalities, while other assessments suggest more than 100 people were killed and several others injured. Informal and unregulated mining operations are common across the resource-rich country and frequently suffer fatal structural failures.

Sources: Aftenposten, Die Zeit, Helsingin Sanomat, Morgunblaðið, Tagesschau