Gold mine collapse in western Central African Republic leaves at least 100 dead near Cameroon border

Collapse at the Zamboyé site

On Tuesday, 18 August, around 14:00 local time, a ground collapse occurred at an artisanal gold mine in Zamboyé, located approximately 50 kilometres from the town of Baboua in western Central African Republic. The incident took place within the Abba region of the Nana-Mambéré prefecture, near the border with Cameroon. According to a statement issued by the public prosecutor's office in Baboua, the disaster was triggered by the failure of several underground galleries where miners operated. Video footage recorded at the open-pit excavation showed a substantial section of earth sliding downward and burying workers beneath soil and rock. Surviving miners on site witnessed the hillside give way into the pits where teams were actively digging for remaining gold deposits.

Cédric Mbango, an artisanal miner who was present at the Zamboyé site during the collapse, described the speed of the disaster.

It is a catastrophe. The ground completely collapsed and buried people.

Search operations and casualty counts

Search and rescue efforts began immediately as local residents and surviving workers tried to dig out those trapped under the debris. Early operations on Tuesday evening led to the recovery of 30 bodies, with injured miners transported to local health facilities and the hospital in Baboua for medical treatment. By Wednesday, 19 August, local administrative and community sources confirmed that the death toll had climbed to at least 100 people, though search teams continued excavation work under difficult conditions. Florian Gaguende, a surviving miner involved in the initial search, noted that prospects for finding additional survivors beneath the collapsed earth were narrowing. Local officials issued appeals to international organizations and civil society for assistance in extracting bodies from the deep excavation pits.

Souleymane Bi, the deputy mayor of the local sub-prefecture, described the emergency in an appeal for external aid.

It is a horrible situation. We ask for help from organizations and all people of good will to pull out of this abyss those who cannot do it on their own.

Cross-border impact and legal response

The disaster affected communities across the frontier, with Cameroon Tribune reporting that at least four Cameroonian nationals died in the Zamboyé collapse. The proximity of the mining area to Cameroon prompted coordination between administrative authorities on both sides of the border. Grégoire Mvongo, the governor of Cameroon's East region, confirmed that Cameroonian officials are liaising with Central African authorities to assist families and manage the aftermath. In Central African Republic, the public prosecutor's office in Baboua opened a formal judicial inquiry to determine the exact circumstances of the mine failure. Laurent Ngon Baba, the member of parliament representing Baboua, acknowledged the difficulty of compiling casualty figures while excavation teams continue clearing the area.

At this stage, it is difficult for us to establish a formal toll.

Unregulated mining conditions in Nana-Mambéré

Artisanal and illegal gold extraction is widespread across western Central African Republic, where mineral deposits remain contested and operate outside government oversight. Commercial companies regularly abandon sites once industrial operations cease to be profitable, after which informal mining groups enter without permits to retrieve remaining ore. Unregulated miners often live underground for months at a time, bringing food, water, power generators, and extraction tools into unsupported subterranean shafts. Structural failures and collapses occur frequently under these unregulated conditions throughout the Nana-Mambéré prefecture. In mid-June 2026, a similar collapse at the Bé-Mbari gold mine along the Cameroon border resulted in several dozen miner deaths.