Authorities in the western part of the Central African Republic (CAR) say dozens of laborers were killed Tuesday afternoon when a landslide buried them at the illegal Zamboye mining site near the Cameroon border — about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the town of Baboua.
Death tolls have ranged from "at least 30" initially to "over 100," with local authorities saying the window for survival is quickly closing for the many miners still buried at the site.
Video uploaded to social media platforms showed bodies churning in earth as the landslide lunges into the open-pit site beneath, burying everything in its path.
Frantic rescue activities continued on Wednesday with reports of mud-covered young men and women pulling bodies from the mine's collapsed entrance, as still more screamed for help.
"The collapse of several underground tunnels in which miners were operating," was given as the cause of the collapse by the Baboua public prosecutor's office, which also announced that an investigation had been launched.
