An artisanal gold mine collapsed on Tuesday morning in the village of Zamboye, in the Nana-Mambere prefecture of the western Central African Republic, near the border with Cameroon. More than one hundred people have died, Red Cross volunteers report, with several survivors critically injured and others still missing beneath the earth. Most of the dead were young men and women who had come to the pits to lift their families out of poverty. Thousands across the country depend on this dangerous, unprotected work to survive. We pray for those still trapped and missing, for the injured, and for the families keeping vigil at the pit — and we pray for the Red Cross volunteers and rescuers labouring to bring them home. May every family find comfort, and may hope be restored to Zamboye.