- Mine collapse at a Sudan gold mining site triggered an emergency rescue operation.
- Authorities worked to determine the number of casualties and missing miners.
- Rescue teams searched for workers believed to be trapped underground.
- The incident highlights ongoing safety risks in Sudan’s artisanal gold mining sector.
AT LEAST 70 artisanal miners were killed after a gold mine collapsed in Sudan’s West Kordofan state, with rescuers racing to reach people believed to be trapped underground, according to local monitoring groups and media reports.
The collapse occurred at the al-Zara gold mine near al-Nuhud, where a series of interconnected shafts gave way, causing widespread destruction in one of Sudan’s informal mining areas.
A survivor who emerged from the mine reported that other miners were still alive underground, raising hopes that additional rescues may be possible.
Witnesses and local sources said rescue efforts were being carried out largely with basic tools, while unstable sandy ground complicated efforts to reach those trapped beneath the debris. No specialised rescue teams had joined the operation, according to local reports.
Some reports put the death toll at 82, while officials and local groups said dozens of people remain missing, suggesting the number of fatalities could rise further as recovery operations continue.
The disaster has again highlighted the dangers faced by workers in Sudan’s artisanal gold sector, where mining is often carried out with limited safety measures and little access to emergency response equipment. Local sources said inadequate safety procedures contributed to the scale of the tragedy.
Sudan is one of Africa’s largest gold producers, with much of its output coming from small-scale and informal mining operations. Deadly mining accidents have occurred repeatedly in recent years, including collapses that killed dozens of miners in 2021 and 2023.
Authorities and local rescue teams continued searching the site on Wednesday as families awaited news of missing miners.
