By: Reuters

Central African Republic authorities have ordered an artisanal gold mine near the Cameroonian border to be closed after the mines minister said 49 people had died there in a deadly collapse.

Mines Minister Rufin Benam Beltoungou said the government would formally suspend activity at the site in Zamboye until further notice following the disaster on Tuesday.

Beltoungou said the dead were 35 Central Africans, 12 Cameroonians and two Chadians.

A senior official at a local mining association had said on Wednesday that more than 100 people had been killed. A prosecutor said rescue efforts were continuing, and said the number of casualties was still being established.

Artisanal mining is a vital source of work and income across Africa, but informal operations often function with limited oversight, inadequate safety measures and little emergency capacity, making collapses and other fatal accidents frequent.

Cameroon has pledged to formalise parts of the sector, seeking to improve regulation, safety and tax collection.

(Reporting by Judicael Yongo in Bangui and Amindeh Blaise Atabong in Yaounde; Writing by Ayen Deng Bior in Dakar; Editing by Alison Williams)