Mine collapse in Central African Republic kills 8

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — An artisanal mine collapsed in the Central African Republic on Thursday morning, killing eight people , according to miners who are at the scene.

The collapse, which also injured five other people, happened in a mining town in Nourroum, the capital of Ouham-Péndé prefecture in the northwestern region.

“The victims were deep inside the mine, digging, when the collapse happened. We were speechless and helpless,” Alban Moussa Yakata, a mine operator with cap lamp in Nourroum, told The Associated Press.

The Ministry of Mines and Geology did not respond to a request for comment.

Artisanal mine collapses are common in the Central African Republic, where several thousand people work in small-scale extraction mining. The work is risky as miners do not have enough protection. The government issues licenses to mining cooperatives to run the mines.