37 dead in gold mine collapse

At least 37 miners are dead and many injured after a gold mine collapsed in the Central African Republic.

The collapse occurred inside a pit near Ndassima village on Sunday and was caused by heavy rainfall, Reuters reports.

“The toll of 37 is provisional as there were many injured,” said Prosper Ndouba, a spokesman for the president’s office.

The republic is a major site for diamond and gold projects but political coups and corruption have been constant sources of instability. After the latest coup in March, the country was banned from the Kimberley Process, an international organization aimed at cleaning up the diamond trade.

Creative Commons image by anyjazz65.