This was reported by Le Figaro.

The tragedy occurred at an informal gold mine located in the village of Zamboye, near the town of Baboua in the country. Search and rescue operations are ongoing in the aftermath of the incident.

One of the witnesses described the event as a "catastrophe," stating that the soil completely collapsed and buried people.

Videos circulating on social media show a section of soil collapsing in a quarry where hundreds of informal miners were working, trapping many people underneath.

The publication notes that landslides and mine collapses happen frequently in the Central African Republic. The country's soils are rich in gold, and some of the mines are exploited illegally, outside of state control.

According to Le Figaro, a similar incident occurred in mid-June at the Be-Mbari gold mine located in the Nana-Mambere prefecture near the Cameroonian border, resulting in the deaths of dozens of people.