▲ A gold mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which shares a border with the Central African Republic. (The photo above is not related to the contents of this article.)
At least 100 people were killed in a gold mine collapse in the Central African Republic, AFP and Xinhua News Agency reported on the 19th local time.
The accident occurred at the Ndambo-Yekongo mine located near the border with Cameroon. The collapse took place around 2:00 p.m. the previous day, and search operations were still underway today.
AFP reported that illegal mining was taking place at the mine.
Cameroonian broadcaster CRTV reported that the death toll from the accident exceeded 100, while some local media outlets reported that 107 bodies had been recovered.
The Cameroon Tribune reported that at least four of the victims were Cameroonian nationals.
The Central African Republic's prosecutor's office stated in a release that the landslide is presumed to have been caused by the collapse of multiple underground shafts where miners were working, adding that an investigation has been launched.
In the Central African Republic, collapse accidents frequently occur due to numerous illegal mining sites operating beyond state control and management, often relying on manual labor without adequate protective equipment.
AFP noted that a similar collapse occurred at the Be-Mbaari gold mine near the Cameroon border in June, resulting in dozens of deaths, while an accident in Gordil in the northeast killed 20 people in February.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.