Over 100 killed in gold mine collapse on Cameroon-CAR border

Yaounde, Aug 20 (IANS) More than 100 miners were killed Tuesday after a gold mine caved in at a border village between Cameroon and the Central African Republic (CAR), Cameroonian officials and local media have said.

Gregoire Mvongo, governor of Cameroon’s East Region, which borders CAR, said Wednesday that the collapse happened around 2:00 p.m. local time in the village of Zamboye.

“Zamboye is a border village, but the mine collapsed on the CAR side. About three to five Cameroonians died. We are doing everything possible to rescue victims,” Mvongo told Xinhua by phone.

Cameroon’s state media CRTV put the death toll at over 100. Other local outlets reported that 107 bodies had already been recovered from the debris.

Meanwhile, in a recording obtained by Xinhua on Thursday, CAR Minister of Mines and Geology Rufin Benam-Beltoungou confirmed 49 deaths.

“We visited the site where the tragedy occurred. We counted 49 deaths, including 34 CAR nationals, 13 Cameroonians, and two Chadians. In a meeting we held, some managers acknowledged the indiscipline of the miners,” Benam-Beltoungou told reporters in CAR after visiting the site on Wednesday.

He also ordered the mine to be temporarily closed.

Oriegene Dokna, a Cameroonian resident near the site, described the tragedy as a shock to the local community. “We are shocked by the tragedy. Families have been mourning since yesterday. It is a difficult situation to accept,” Dokna told Xinhua.

Local officials said rescue teams were still working to reach miners believed to be trapped underground.

Meanwhile, in July, five miners were killed after a gold mine collapsed in Narok County in southwestern Kenya.

Kilimapesa, located about 180 km south of Narok Town, is home to Kenya’s largest commercial gold mining operation, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The incident came amid growing concerns over safety in Kenya’s gold mining sector, which has been plagued by fatal accidents in recent years.

–IANS

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