Central African Republic — Gold-mine collapse
Location: Zamboye, Nana-Mambéré prefecture, western Central African Republic, near the Cameroon border.
Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2026.
Incident: An artisanal gold mine collapsed. Local officials and a mining-association representative reported more than 100 deaths.
Cause: Initial reports identify a landslide/tunnel collapse. The precise cause remains under investigation.
Rescue: Recovery operations were continuing; additional victims may remain trapped.
Victims: Miners reportedly included nationals of the Central African Republic and Cameroon.
Official status: Authorities launched an investigation into the collapse.
Death toll: More than 100 reported dead; final toll not established.
Russia — Fuel shortage
Current situation: Fuel shortages have returned to Moscow and surrounding areas, with long queues and some stations running out of gasoline.
Cause: Russian authorities cite refinery disruptions and unscheduled repairs. Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure have contributed to reduced refining capacity.
Geographic scope: Fuel shortages have affected multiple regions of Russia, with Moscow experiencing renewed shortages this week.
Fuel restrictions: Major fuel retailers have introduced limits on gasoline purchases.
Government response: Russia has restricted fuel exports, relaxed some fuel-quality requirements and increased petroleum-product imports.
Imports: Russia has imported gasoline from India and increased supplies from Belarus.
Refinery disruption: The Orsk refinery was shut following a Ukrainian drone strike on August 11. Regional authorities indicated repairs could take months.
Strategic significance: Russia remains a major crude-oil producer and exporter while simultaneously experiencing domestic gasoline shortages requiring imports. ← Back to Fiveo1