Gold mine collapse in Central African Republic kills over 100 miners

On August 18, 2026, a catastrophic landslide triggered the collapse of an artisanal gold mine in Zamboye, Central African Republic, near the Cameroon border. While the country's mines minister confirmed 49 deaths, local mining officials and Red Cross volunteers report that the toll exceeds 100. Rescue operations are underway using heavy machinery, and public prosecutors have launched an investigation into the illegal site's operations, ordering its immediate closure.

Zamboye gold mine collapse

• ▪The Zamboye gold mine is located approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the town of Baboua, near the border of the Central African Republic and Cameroon.
• ▪An artisanal gold mine collapsed in the village of Zamboye, located in the Nana-Mambéré prefecture of the Central African Republic, on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.
• ▪The collapse at the Zamboye gold mine was triggered by a landslide that buried miners operating at the open-pit mining site.

Artisanal mining safety risks

• ▪In June 2026, a mine collapse killed several dozen people at the Be-Mbari gold mining site on the border of the Central African Republic and Cameroon.
• ▪Prior to the Zamboye collapse, at least 40 people had died in several mining incidents in the Central African Republic in 2026, including a landslide that killed seven people in Ngourroum in March and another that killed 20 in Gordi in February.
• ▪Small-scale artisanal mines across Africa often operate with weak safety standards and poor regulation, leading to frequent deadly accidents.

Death toll exceeds 100

• ▪The Central African Republic's mines minister stated that 49 people had died in the Zamboye mine collapse, while local officials warned the toll is expected to rise.
• ▪A Red Cross volunteer and a senior official at a local mining association reported that more than 100 bodies had been recovered following the Zamboye mine collapse on August 18, 2026.

Rescue operations continue

• ▪Rescuers and local volunteers are searching for survivors and retrieving bodies from the Zamboye mine collapse, with survivors being transported to a hospital in Baboua.
• ▪Heavy machinery, including tractors, is being used in the retrieval mission at the Zamboye mine site, which local youth council members warned could jeopardize the rescue of survivors.

Cameroon cross-border victims

• ▪Cameroonian authorities announced they are prepared to receive and provide medical care to any injured individuals crossing the border from the Zamboye mine site.
• ▪Grégoire Mvongo, the governor of Cameroon's Eastern region, stated that Cameroonian authorities are collaborating with Central African Republic officials to manage the aftermath of the Zamboye mine tragedy.
• ▪At least four citizens of Cameroon were among the miners who died in the Zamboye mine collapse on August 18, 2026, according to Cameroonian and Central African Republic authorities.

Investigation launched by authorities

• ▪Public prosecutors in Baboua launched a judicial investigation into the Zamboye mine collapse to establish its cause and identify the operators of the site.
• ▪Following the disaster on August 18, 2026, Central African Republic authorities ordered the closure of the artisanal gold mine in Zamboye.