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Zamboye Gold Mine Closed After Collapse Kills 49

8/23/2026

24 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Mines minister Rufin Benam Beltoungou ordered the Zamboye artisanal gold mine closed after its collapse.
The collapse occurred on August 18, 2026, at Zamboye near the Cameroon border, about 50 km from Baboua.
Minister Beltoungou confirmed 49 deaths, including 34 Central Africans, 13 Cameroonians and two Chadians.
Authorities opened a judicial inquiry to identify operators of the illegal mine.

History

Historical Context

On 5 August 2010 a cave-in at Chile’s San José mine trapped 33 miners for 69 days, prompting President Sebastián Piñera to dismiss SERNAGEOMIN officials and launch a safety overhaul that shut 18 mines and threatened 300 more. The 2026 Zamboye artisanal gold mine collapse in Cameroon, investigated by Mines Minister Rufin Benam Beltoungou, echoes those failures, reinforcing regional moves toward stricter inspections of informal mines.

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Story summary

Mines minister Rufin Benam Beltoungou ordered the Zamboye artisanal gold mine closed after its collapse.
The collapse occurred on August 18, 2026, at Zamboye near the Cameroon border, about 50 km from Baboua.
Minister Beltoungou confirmed 49 deaths, including 34 Central Africans, 13 Cameroonians and two Chadians.
Authorities opened a judicial inquiry to identify operators of the illegal mine.

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