A catastrophic landslide at an artisanal gold mine in western Central African Republic has killed more than 100 people, with the death toll expected to rise as rescue operations continue. The collapse struck the Zamboye mining site — a large open-pit operation near the village of Zamboye, roughly 50 kilometres from the town of Baboua and close to the border with Cameroon — on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after heavy rain. Video footage circulating on social media showed a section of the mine's face giving way, sending a torrent of earth cascading over dozens of miners in seconds.

More than 100 bodies had been recovered by Wednesday, according to a Red Cross volunteer involved in the relief effort and a senior official at a local mining association. Authorities cautioned that the final toll remained unclear, as rescue teams continued to search for survivors and missing persons believed to be buried under the rubble. Around 500 people are reported to have been working at the site at the time, both Central African and Cameroonian nationals. Cameroon confirmed that at least four of its citizens were among the dead and said it was coordinating with Central African authorities on cross-border relief efforts. "Finding them alive would be a miracle," said Bertrand Be Yangué, a member of the Zamboye youth council. "We are saddened and heartbroken to see young men and women perish after coming to the mines to save their families from despair."

Rescue conditions have been extremely difficult. In the absence of professional emergency services, local young people initially dug with shovels, hoes, and bare hands. Heavy machinery including tractors was later deployed, though concerns were raised that this could endanger anyone still alive underground. Several injured survivors were evacuated to the hospital in Baboua, about 60 kilometres from the site. A local prosecutor announced the opening of a criminal investigation to establish the causes of the disaster and identify who was running the operation. The Central African government also dispatched a mission led by the Minister of Mines to assess the situation on the ground.

The disaster has drawn sharp criticism from opposition politicians in both countries. Martin Ziguélé, leader of the Central African opposition Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People, called for a parliamentary inquiry, arguing that a pattern of repeated deadly collapses points to a fundamental failure to regulate artisanal mining. In Cameroon, civil society voices condemned what one described as a "terrible mafia" in the management of gold extraction, noting the vast financial losses from uncontrolled illegal mining. This year alone, at least 40 people have died in separate mining incidents across the Central African Republic, including dozens killed in a collapse at the Bé-Mbari gold mine in June.

Artisanal and small-scale mining is widespread across Central Africa, providing livelihoods in regions with high unemployment but operating largely outside state oversight and with minimal safety infrastructure. The Central African Republic, a landlocked country in the heart of the continent, is rich in mineral resources but remains one of the world's poorest nations. Landslides at mine sites are particularly common during the rainy season, when saturated soils become unstable. Both governments have pledged measures to improve regulation, but critics argue that such commitments have repeatedly failed to translate into meaningful enforcement on the ground.