Mine collapse in Central African Republic kills 8

BANGUI, Central African Republic — 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 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.