Several dozen people were caught by the landslide while they were present at the gold extraction site. Initial counts report more than 100 deaths.
Miners were killed on August 18, 2026, during a collapse of a gold mine in the village of Zamboye, bordering Cameroon and the Central African Republic. The village is located a few kilometers from the town of Garoua-Boulaï in the Lom-et-Derem department, East Cameroon region. Rescue operations continued until the evening to search for other people who might be trapped under the earth after the landslide. The mayor of Garoua Boulaï, Amadou Abdon, communicated to the media the death toll yesterday, 107, while searches were still ongoing.
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The tragedy occurred around 2 p.m. on Tuesday. The gallery of an artisanal gold mine collapsed and trapped gold seekers. The impressive number of deaths reflects the heavy influx of people on this artisanal gold mining site which extends over several hectares on both sides of the Kadei river. The site attracts people from Cameroon, the CAR, and Chad. This same figure indicates the precariousness of mining at this well-known and frequented site for years.
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The unfortunate event that mourns dozens of families reopens the debate on the security measures of gold panning sites as well as those protecting gold diggers on these sites. These pose a danger to the panners and even to the local populations.
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