Gold mine collapse ‘kills more than 100’

Reuters said a senior official at a local mining body had attributed that number of deaths to the ground collapse at the village of Zamboye close to the border with Cameroon.

Fellow news agency Associated Press quoted a Red Cross volunteer as also saying more than 100 people had died in the disaster.

A translated Facebook post from Cameroon’s mining ministry said the accident occurred on 18 August on a gold-mining patch that straddles the international border.

“On the Cameroonian side, the gold mining is essentially alluvial, practiced in the flats and along the Kadey river, and is mainly related to mining craftsmanship in the strict sense,” it added.

“On the other hand, on the Central African side, the mining is particularly related to deposits located in hilly areas, presenting greater risks of landslides and soil slides.”

It said this week’s mine collapse followed a landslide.

“An evaluation mission has already been deployed on the Cameroonian side to gather more information and assess the overall situation in the border area,” the post added.

“It should be noted that during the rainy season, the risks of landslides is particularly high on mining sites located in hilly areas.

“Although this accident occurred in a neighbouring country, it also concerns Cameroon, where artisanal mining is practiced, and highlights the precarious nature of this activity in several African countries.”

The Cameroon government said it had set up a dedicated task force that had “undertaken several actions aimed at supporting the municipalities in managing artisans”.

Back in the UK, works to stabilise the ground beneath Dewar Avenue in Kincardine are nearing completion, a year after the discovery of subsidence caused by old coal mine workings.