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At least 100 people have died in the collapse of a gold mine in the Central African Republic

The detachment took place on 6 May. Initially, the authorities confirmed 11 deaths, but after several days of searching for victims and treating the wounded, the number has increased considerably.

A man working at a gold mine.

At least 100 people have died in the Central African Republic as a result of a landslide in a gold mine in the city of BE-Mbari (west of the country, near the border with Cameroon). 

The detachment took place on May 6. Initially, the authorities confirmed 11 deaths, but after several days of work, they have had to review that number very upwards, either because some of the wounded have died or because more bodies have been found. 

Raphaël Gonigbéré, secretary of the regional government in the town where the accident occurred, has stated that "many miners were at the deepest level of the mine at the time of the tragedy." After a week, the death toll is "62 more people." He has also detailed that "27 people are missing" whose relatives have reported that they were at the mine at the time of the tragedy; "we also consider them dead," he said.

The Government of the Central African Republic has not yet made an official statement on what happened. 

The accident comes in the midst of an increase in gold in the region. Gold attracts a growing number of young people willing to work in mines. But every year many miners lose their lives due to landslides or pollution of water caused by used chemicals.

The western part of the Central African Republic is rich in gold deposits. Under the Mining Code, the Government grants operating permits to cooperatives operating by artisanal methods and, in some cases, partnering with foreign companies for semi-mechanized or industrial mining.

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