The Central African Republic Presidency has officially confirmed that 37 people have been killed as scores others injured in terrific gold mine collapse in the eastern part of the country.

The incident happened at the Ndassima Gold Mine which is some 440 km east of the capital, Bangui

The pity the miners were working in had absorbed water due to torrential rainfall in the area for days and making the ground soft resulting in the pity caving in on the miners.

The disaster believed to have happened on Sunday was brought to the attention of authorities on Monday due to poor communication network in the area.

The spokesman for the presidency office Prosper Ndouba told reporters that 37 people died in the disaster and scores others injured.

“The toll of 37 people are provisional pronounced dead as there were many injured, it was a very bad incident’’, Mr. Ndouba said.

Mr. Ndouba also added that 10 injured miners had been rescued but there were an unknown number of bodies still buried under the pity.

Three days of national mourning has been declared by the nation for those who lost their lives amid condolences for the bereaved families.

Gold mines collapses are common in Africa as many engage in illegal mining activities without proper safety measures.

The Central Africa Republic is rich in gold and diamonds but the country has endured decades of instability making the development of the mining industry under developed.

The Central Africa Republic has an unstable history and is extremely poor, though it has large deposits of minerals including gold and diamonds.

Issaka Adams/ NationalTurk Africa News

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