The 18 August 2026 gold mine landslide at the Zamboye (Zamboï) mining site in the Central African Republic
At least 107 people were killed in major failure at an artisinal mine on the border with Cameroon. In the afternoon of 18 August 2026, a large landsldie occurred at an artisinal gold mine at Zamboye (also spelt Zamboï) in the Central African Republic. The landslide was caught on videos that have been widely shared (there are two different angles). Please be aware that it makes uncomfortable viewing:- I am unsure of the precise location of this accident. It is described as being close to Garoua-Boulaï, which is located at [5.888, 14.550]. News reports indicate that 107 bodies have been…
The report of the external review commissioned by Tauranga City Council into the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park landslide
The external review of the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park landslide is extremely critical of the local authority in their approach to the management of the well-documented landslide hazard and risk at the site. The external review commissioned by Tauranga City Council (TCC) into the 22 January 2026 Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park landslide released its report today. It has been extensively covered in the New Zealand media. The conclusions are quite devastating for TCC, but are also likely to have wider implications for the management of risk from natural hazards across New Zealand. It is important to remember the…
Images of the aftermath of the 13 August 2026 tailings storage facility failure at the Semancor Dikwena Chrome Mine in South Africa
The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. On social media, the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Republic of South Africa has released two aerial images of the aftermath of the 13 August 2026 tailings storage facility failure at the Semancor Dikwena Chrome Mine in South Africa. The first shows the tailings storage facility (TSF) itself, including the loss of slimes:- It is interesting to note the small-scale slope failures on the tailings wall in the foreground (I’d be interested to know if this…
The 13 August 2026 tailings storage facility failure at Dikwena Chrome in South Africa
A major tailings accident occurred last week in a Chrome mine at Dikwena near Brits. On 13 August 20926, a major failure occurred in a large tailings storage facility at the Dikwena facility, owned by Samancor Chrome in the Brits area of South Africa. There are news reports from IOL and the Daily Maverick about this…
Patterns in time and space of fatal coastal cliff failures
A new analysis (Reiss et al. 2026) explores a global database of fatal coastal cliff failures, showing that these tragic events most frequently occur in the summer months when beaches are heavily populated. One significant type of fatal landslide is coastal cliff failures. Whilst I have recorded a number of these events through the years,…
The evolution of the Wanlixi landslide in Taiwan
Planet Labs satellite imagery highlights how the Wanlixi landslide in Taiwan evolved prior to the main failure on 21 June, and how it has continued to move subsequently. On 31 July 2026 I highlighted the valley-blocking Wanlixi landslide in Hualien County, Taiwan. The location of the landslide is 23.78859° N, 121.27236° E (for machine readable…
The 4 July 2026 landslide disaster at Cantzama in Ecuador
On 4 July 2026, 19 people were killed in a massive landslide in Zamora Chinchipe province, Ecuador. Planet Labs imagery shows that this was caused by a c.1 km long landslide that occurred 13 km upstream of Cantzama. This transitioned into a channelised debris flow that destroyed the community. On 4 July 2026, a massive…
The July 2005 rainfall-induced landslides in Yangshan (the Yang Mountains) in China
Extreme rainfall in July 2025 triggered numerous landslides and debris flows that killed over 60 people. Between 23 and 29 July 2025, the Yanshan (Yan Mountain) [41.0, 120.0] area of Hebei Province in China suffered extreme rainfall that triggered extensive flooding and landslides. As is so often the case in China, I found it difficult to…
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About Dave
Dave Petley is the Vice-Chancellor and President of Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom. His blog provides commentary and analysis of landslide events occurring worldwide, including the landslides themselves, latest research, and conferences and meetings.