{"id":2746,"date":"2026-08-20T15:11:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T15:11:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=2746"},"modified":"2026-08-20T15:11:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T15:11:28","slug":"rescuers-recover-more-bodies-after-central-african-republic-mine-collapse-kills-over-100","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=2746","title":{"rendered":"Rescuers recover more bodies after Central African Republic mine collapse kills over 100"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) \u2014 Hopes of finding survivors at a collapsed gold mine in Central African Republic were fading Thursday, two days after the disaster killed more than 100 people<\/span> and left others buried under debris.<\/p>\n

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Rescuers continued recovering bodies from the artisanal mining site in Zamboye, near the border with Cameroon, but local workers said that the response lacked the equipment and expertise needed for a disaster of this scale.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rescue effort is being organized, but it is not up to the task,\u201d said J\u00e9r\u00e9mie Ngbiri, a miner at the site who lost his brother and a friend in the collapse.<\/p>\n

Death toll expected to rise<\/h2>\n

Ngbiri said that he saw some victims suffocate as people tried to rescue them. <\/p>\n

The local Red Cross was helping with the search, but couldn\u2019t say how many people remained buried, volunteer Gervais Ganagoro said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to find bodies,\u201d he said, adding that more than 10 were recovered on Thursday morning alone. \u201cEvery hour, bodies are being discovered, increasing the number of victims.\u201d<\/p>\n

Local officials and the Red Cross said Wednesday that more than 100 people had died in the collapse and warned the toll was likely to rise.<\/p>\n

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Investigation underway over why tunnels collapsed<\/h2>\n

The Baboua subprefecture court said in a statement that several underground tunnels in which the miners were working had collapsed, causing a landslide.<\/p>\n

An investigation has been opened to determine why the tunnels collapsed, identify the victims and those responsible for operating the site, as well as establish any potential criminal liability, the statement said.<\/p>\n

Mines Minister Rufin Benam Beltoungou expressed condolences to victims\u2019 families and warned miners about the dangers of unsafe mining practices, according to a statement posted by the ministry.<\/p>\n

Gold mining expands despite safety risks<\/h2>\n

Artisanal mine collapses are common in Central African Republic, where thousands of people work in small-scale mining, often with little protection. Pits are frequently dug by hand and can reach several meters deep. <\/p>\n

\u201cSafety conditions are not ensured at these sites,\u201d said Chekoua Justin Landry, a program manager with Forests and Rural Development, a Cameroonian nonprofit group that works on natural-resource governance and rural communities. \u201cThe walls of these pits are not stabilized, and with the rains, landslides can happen easily.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Abdon Adamou, the mayor of Garoua-Boulai, a Cameroonian town near the mining site, said that heavy rainfall had weakened the soils in the area.<\/p>\n

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Four Cameroonians and two Chadians were among the dead, Adamou told The Associated Press. He said that he\u2019s working with Central African authorities to repatriate injured Cameroonians and the bodies of those killed in the collapse.<\/p>\n

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Hamadou Abba, 50, said that his 32-year-old nephew, Doudou Marcel, was among the Cameroonian miners killed in the collapse. <\/p>\n

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